In The Right Key
by FeelItWithYourHeart
Summary: Bella Swan has a passion for music. She gets lessons to learn to play the piano, but her teacher may not be who she expected. . .and her life will change drastically, in more ways than what might be predicted.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Miss Swan, I'm sorry, but there aren't any teachers left," said the receptionist at Reynolds Piano Classes. I couldn't believe it! There were always teachers available at that hole-in-the-wall. She had to be lying to me.

"Are you one-hundred-percent sure? There has to be somebody who will take me," I replied, slightly more annoyed than I should be. I guess that darn receptionist was just feeding my anger. After all, I had called about ten times before asking for lessons. I had always wanted to play ever since I first heard Claude Debussy's music. I wanted to have that amazing power to just make music seemingly out of nowhere. Renee never knew of that dream, so I just let her do what she wanted me to do. But I was living with Charlie now, so I took that dream and tried to make it happen, but that receptionist wasn't letting me. Not to mention I was already angry for the B I got in my his—

"Well, okay, maybe there is someone who will do it. But I don't know what he'll say—"

"I don't care, I'll take it!" I shouted that last part. I heard a scuffling sound on the other end, figuring that the lady had dropped it in surprise. Oops. She picked the phone back up, cleared her throat rather loudly, and replied.

"Alright Miss Swan, I will see you on Monday for your first lesson," she said, sounding quite hopeful that I would break all of my fingers beforehand. Which, given my outstanding grace, would probably happen by then.

"Thank you so much," I said, fully intending a double meaning. She replied with a sharp "You're welcome," mumbled a goodbye, and hung up.

I didn't know what my problem was today, but I squealed and shouted "yes!" Charlie came around the corner then and gave me a super weird look, which I deserved.

"Bella, would you please stop screaming!" I felt sorry because I had obviously woken him up from a nap. The station was under a lot of pressure right now because of random murders, and he being the police chief and having to stay late was taking a toll on him.

"I'm sorry, Dad, but I finally got piano lessons!" Charlie was happy that I had found a hobby that wasn't reading. I don't really know why he felt that way, but I was happy that he was happy.

"Good for you, Bells!" He was instantly cheerier (and more awake) at the news.

I then proceeded to make dinner so that Charlie could eat before he had to go back to the station for another shift. When I served the meal, we sat down at the irregular table with unmatched chairs and talked about the lessons while we ate. He was still worried about the cost, but I reminded him that it was only $20 per sitting and that I had it covered.

After he left, I showered and went to bed. It was hard to fall asleep because I was so excited. I had this incredible passion for music and I was finally going to be able to express it. The only thing to be worried about was the teacher. What if he decided he didn't want to teach me because I had no potential? The thought scared me, so I pushed it away. I mean, he wasn't going to bite. I put on some of my favorite piano pieces and drifted to sleep. I just couldn't wait until Monday!

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**AN: Thank you so much for reading! Please review and tell me what you think. I will reply! Don't be shy!**


	2. Chapter 1: No Way

Chapter 1: No Way

The weekend couldn't have gone by any slower. Friday was the day that I had succeeded in acquiring piano lessons from that stubborn lady. Saturday went by slowly because I went to work at Newton's and did some unnecessary homework. And yesterday, which was Sunday, was spent doing chores while Charlie got a day off and slept. But the good thing was was that it was finally Monday. I felt like I had waited a lifetime for it.

Charlie was already gone by the time I had gotten up, so I was free to act weirdly excited while I ate breakfast. I nearly dropped my bowl of cereal when I looked at the clock and realized that I was running late. I grabbed my coat and sped out the door, happy to see that my tires hadn't been slashed in the middle of the night. I have always had that fear since I had learned how to drive. Obviously, slasher movies weren't my cup of tea. I jumped into the bulbous cab of my rusty red Chevy truck and turned it on a little too fast. The engine sputtered. Gah! I sighed, trying to calm myself down, and successfully turned on the engine. I really needed to calm down.

Since I had a really bad aversion to being late—for anything—I pushed the truck to its max of sixty miles-per-hour and heard it groan. Knowing the speed wouldn't make a difference, I did the same. The slick roads of Always-Rainy-Forks, Washington were starting to frighten me, although I had always been a good and safe driver, so I slowed down because the speed wasn't necessary anymore. I stopped at a light that was right before the school and realized that Charlie would have been disappointed in me for speeding. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?

I turned into the parking lot of Forks High School and parked. I walked briskly into the school and headed towards English class. The school day, surprisingly, went by really quickly. Well, except for Biology. It never went well. The reason, you may ask? Two words: Edward Cullen. Ever since I had moved here a week ago, he had ignored and glared at me the whole time. Maybe not the whole time, but it sure felt like it. It would have been a lot easier if he wasn't so darn gorgeous. Seriously, he had bronze colored sex hair (for lack of a better word), these strange but glorious golden eyes, an inhumanly beautiful face, the body of a Greek god (except for the pale skin), and he was graceful, which added to the entire being that was Edward. Oh man, was he just—

Stop! Ah, I need help. Anyways, the rest of the Cullens were pretty much the same, the inhuman beauty, pale skin, and grace. They didn't annoy me as much, seeing as I didn't have any classes with them. I still hoped that this tension flowing between us would end, but I was foolish to hold on to that.

After another horrible biology class, P.E. zipped by. And before I knew it, it was time for my first piano lesson. I got in my truck and tried to get out of the parking lot, but of course, Edward's stupid shiny silver Volvo was blocking me. At this point, I would have gotten out of the car and yelled at him. Luckily, I still had my sanity. I waited as patiently as I could for the Cullens to get into their car. When they finally cleared out, I went as fast as I would let myself under the speed limit to drive to Port Angeles where Reynolds Piano Classes was located.

When I arrived, the first thing I saw was a silver Volvo. There was no way they were here. Surely somebody else in the area had the same car. I stopped thinking about it and focused on the task at hand. The exterior of the building was disgusting. So I was really surprised when I walked in and saw the posh interior. The walls were beige and the front desk and the chairs were very modern. Don't judge a book by its cover for sure.

Then I saw the receptionist. I walked slowly and deliberately toward her desk where she was sitting, realizing that she had no idea that I was in there because she was listening to an iPod and reading a trashy romance novel. The perfect prey. Since I was wearing black pants already, all I had to do was put on my matching black jacket, zip it up, and pull the hood over my head. I stopped almost right in front of the desk and she still hadn't noticed me. Was this woman stupid or what? I bowed my head, put my hands in my pockets, and waited. After about 3 minutes of her ignorance, she finally looked up.

"HOLY MOTHER OF—"was her response, until she fell out of her chair. I laughed harder than I think I ever had in my entire life. I was surprised at myself; I never did anything like this to anyone. But this lady had tried to squash my dreams. She deserved it. Once she realized that I was laughing she got up and pointed a finger at me.

"You little—"

"Bella Swan," I said, holding out my hand as if for a handshake, "Pleasure to meet you." The look on her face was priceless. Somebody came out to see what all the noise was about. The receptionist, whose name I know realized was Margot, jumped in the air but was caught by the guy that had walked in. She writhed and shouted many profanities as she was dragged out of the room. I was still doubled over in laughter when the man came back in the room.

"I'm. . . sorry. . . for. . ."I said in between fits of laughter, and trailed off into even more giggles. I finally calmed myself down, until all that was left was a smile on my face. I stood there and waited for the man whose nametag said Rick to berate me for what I did. Instead, he thanked me and laughed a little bit. Guess I'm not the only one who hated her. He asked for my name and told me to go back to room six. I walked quickly, giddy for what had just happened and for what was to come, and knocked on the door. No answer, so I decided to just walk in.

Remember when I said that the silver Volvo in the parking lot could belong to anyone and there was no way that any of the Cullens could be here? Well. . . I was dead wrong. The second that I walked into the room, my eyes caught the golden ones of Edward freaking Cullen. No way.

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**AN: I updated do soon because I have no life. I there are ANY readers at all, please review. I just need to know if I should continue. Please please please let me know!!!! Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 2: First Lesson

Chapter 2: First Lesson

He was leaning against a shiny grand piano, holding a book of sheet music. I froze in the doorway, captured in melting gold. . .

Wake up, Bella! I must have been standing there for at least 2 minutes. We both didn't move. There was a connection running between us, one I most certainly didn't want to break. It was like we were finally getting along. I reveled in it for as long as I hoped before I broke it.

"Hello," I said quietly, with a slight smile. He stood up straighter and placed the book on top of the piano.

"Come on in," he said in his beautiful voice. We had talked once before, but his voice was still as amazing and new as if I'd never heard it before. I walked in and closed the door behind me. He tensed and walked over to open the small window on the other side of the room. Once again, I wondered if I smelled bad. Of course I didn't! This guy had problems.

I was going to say something, but he saved me from the embarrassment of trying to talk with him around. "I never expected you to show up here."

"I could say the same about you," I replied. I believe I was more correct than he was. Just look at him. He obviously didn't belong here. I fit in here more than he did. He didn't disagree with my statement.

He walked back to the piano and sat down on the matching glossy bench. He turned to face me with a genuinely curious look on his face.

"Why do you want to play?"

"Um. . ." I was incredibly nervous. Ever since that moment of peace had been broken, there were mutant butterflies flying around in my stomach. But I had to answer him.

"I, uh, love music. I've always wanted to make my own, and I figured it would be easier if I knew how to play." I didn't tell him about how I loved the feeling of playing and singing along. He seemed skeptical, as if he knew I wasn't telling him everything. Freaky. He slowly nodded while thinking about what to do with.

"Alright. Let's see what you know."

Luckily, I already knew music theory. After I had named all of the keys that he played and named notes on the staff, we moved on to step-wise movement. I had become more comfortable now that music had been played and had walked over and sat next to him on the bench. He didn't seem to like that. He pinched the bridge of his nose as if he was trying to calm himself down.

He cleared his throat. "Bella, I, uh, have a severe case of claustrophobia with humans." Seriously?! I gave him a look, but didn't say anything. I got up and leaned against the piano and stared at him, hoping to portray my incredulousness at his horrible lies and annoyance. It worked; he looked away.

I just rolled my eyes and laughed a short laugh. There was something seriously wrong with him, and I was going to figure it out. He looked back at me, but I just gestured for him to continue with his lesson.

We were just about to start playing basic songs, much farther than anyone ever got on their first lesson. He said he was impressed with what I could do, and my heart exploded. It was already beating fast by just being around him, but a small compliment shouldn't have done that. I guessed we were both weird. Perfect . . . for each other.

I mentally slapped myself for thinking that. I did not and would not think that way about Edward. It just wasn't right. I looked at the clock on the wall and realized it was 7:30. Crap! We had been so wrapped up in the lesson that neither of us had even thought about the time. I pointed it out to him and he said that we were done for the day. He looked tired and a little . . . sad? I couldn't understand it.

He walked me to the door of the room and opened the door for me. I didn't want to leave yet. And that was a bad thing.

I turned around and realized how close he was to me. I almost lost it. I shaped my brain back together so I could bid him farewell.

"Goodbye, Edward."

"Bye, Bella." He ran his fingers through his hair, looking calmer by the second. He had horrible mood swings, but he was amazing. "See you tomorrow."

I turned and walked out of the room in a daze and he closed the door behind me. I had stopped in the hallway on my way to the door when I heard a song playing from the room I had just exited. I had never heard it before, and I knew that Edward was composing a new song. It was beautiful, just like him.

It didn't feel right listening to him create something that obviously meant a lot to him. I could tell it did by the sweetness of the tone. I walked into the waiting area and was glad to see there was no one there. It was hard to believe that just three hours ago I had been in here causing a ruckus. I was amazed at the changes I had seen in myself since the short time in which I moved here. Forks was changing me. And so was Edward Cullen.

I went out to the truck and started my drive home. Even though I saw Edward every day, he had promised he would see me tomorrow. That meant I would see him twice a day, every day. Life was about to become very confusing for me.

I got home and apologized to Charlie for being so late. He didn't seem to really even notice I was there. Some game was on. I would never get sports. I went to bed, anxious and overly excited for the weeks to come. I went to sleep, dreaming about people with golden eyes.

**AN: Thank you for reading! Reviews fuel my imagination and keep me posting. Questions, comments, suggestions, or just wanna talk about the story? PM or review. Tell your friends, too!**


	4. Chapter 3: Burned Down

Chapter 3: Burned Down

After my fifth lesson with Edward, we had become best friends. I was surprised that he had changed over the five days, _and_ that we had so much in common. We sat at a separate table together, away from my friends and his family. It didn't seem like either approved. I hadn't met his family yet, but by the stares they gave us, I didn't really want to.

Even though we sat across the cafeteria from each other, I could still see their eyes. Some were gold, some were black, and the others were caught in between. There were four of them: Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice. Everyone was adopted by Dr. and Mrs. Cullen even though they were really young. Jasper and Rosalie Hale are twins and the only actual siblings. They had blond hair, but that was the only thing they had in common in the looks department. Emmett and Alice were both Cullen's, but of course weren't really related.

They were all together, Rosalie and Emmett, Jasper and Alice. Edward didn't have anybody. I felt bad for him. He was amazing and deserved someone just the same.

We were at lunch now and I sat across from Edward. I looked over my shoulder to my friends. Jessica and Mike, who were trying to work out their relationship, started sending daggers with their eyes about a week ago. Since they were starting to get over my new friendship with Edward, those daggers were becoming butter knives. Jess didn't like that I'd abandoned her and Mike was a little jealous. Angela was quickly becoming my friend and I could tell she wanted to come and sit with us. I would have invited her, but I wasn't ready to share Edward. I know. Selfish.

I looked over my other shoulder at the Cullen's. They were all looking at us. Rosalie looked disgusted and angry, Emmett looked confused, Jasper looked curious, and Alice looked like she was about to burst. She was like a little ballerina with short spiky hair. Whenever she looked at me and Edward, she was happy and, something I'll never understand, expectant. I didn't know what would happen when I finally met them.

"Bella, they aren't going to stop staring at us. Just calm down," Edward said. I had been furiously spinning my lemonade bottle on the table and he grabbed it out of my hands and hid it. I was surprised I had even seen it, he moved so fast.

"How do you do that?" I murmured angrily, looking down at where the bottle used to be.

"Admit it, you're jealous." He laughed. His laugh was like something no one's ever heard before. It belonged to an angel. _He_ was an angel. He was nice, sweet, smart, and funny. I thanked the heavens for sending him my way.

"Yeah. I'm so jealous I might have to stop hanging out with you before I burst into flames because of it," I said in a joking voice. Instead of laughing or replying, he stayed silent. He had told me before that we shouldn't be friends. Why? I wished I had known. But that wasn't going to stop me from being with him. He was my best friend and I wasn't going to let him go.

"Edward," I said fiercely, "you're not going to do anything you regret. I don't know why you feel the way you do, but I know you won't do anything wrong. I believe in you. Trust me." Then I reached out and grabbed his hand, which was lying on the table. It was ice cold, but I didn't care. The burn it left on my skin felt good.

For one second, he was livid. I was almost afraid of what he might do. Then, unexpectedly, he grabbed my hand back, as I had started to move it, and held it on the top of the table. The look on his face changed dramatically. It turned from dangerously angry to fervently thankful and soft.

"Thank you. I needed to hear that," he whispered. "I'll explain it to you one day. But for now, eat your lunch and act like nothing just happened." He let go of my hand and I missed his deeply. I wondered what he meant, so I snuck a look over my shoulder. Literally everyone was staring at us. Blushing, I quickly looked back down at the table and ate whatever I picked up. Edward was sitting there across from me, looking bored. The boy never ate. He said he was on a "special diet," but he didn't look like he needed to lose any weight. I really needed to find out what he was. There was no way this beautiful and strange creature could be human. Maybe he wasn't. . .

Or maybe I was crazy.

The way my heart was beating you would think it was going to explode. That touch. . .

I shook my head so I could calm down. I looked back up at him and he was smirking. It was obvious he knew my heart was beating erratically. I had a theory that he was some kind of superhero, super speed and super hearing. He could probably read minds, too. I would never tell him these things, though. I didn't know how he would react.

He pulled me out of my thoughts. "What are you thinking about?" He seemed pained now. Maybe he couldn't read minds.

"Uh . . . Cold Fusion?" I blushed. Again.

"Seriously, Bella," he said, annoyed. Then he literally smoldered right in front of me. I think I stopped breathing. "Won't you _please_ tell me?"

I gave in. There was no way I couldn't. "I was thinking that you're a superhero," I whispered.

His onyx eyes--which changed all the time to gold and back again; I accused him of contacts but he just laughed and made an excuse, something lame like "It's the fluorescents." Whatever--turned hard as he thought about that.

He scoffed. "Hardly," he said bleakly.

"Edward, remember what we just talked about? Stop putting yourself down." He really needed to stop that.

"Right. Sorry." He looked sincere. But he was a good liar.

I went back to eating my lunch even though all I could concentrate on was him. I looked at his face and saw that he was surprised. I was confused until he pulled a shiny cell phone out of his pocket.

"Edward. . . "I warned jokingly. He smiled and held his finger to his mouth as he opened the phone and put it against his ear. He turned slightly to hide the phone and answered.

"Hello? . . . Good. How are you? . . . What? Really? . . . Is everybody okay? . . . I'll tell her. Thank you. . . Bye." At this point, I was scared. What happened?

"What happened?" I tried to hide my panic. It didn't work. I didn't know why I was so scared.

"That was Rick. Reynolds was burned down today. Margot, the receptionist you harassed, lost her mind and set fire to the building. Everybody who was in there didn't get hurt. Although, Margot _is_ in the hospital. A mental hospital." I was shocked. But apart from the destruction, I found what Margot did hilarious. I started laughing.

"Bella, are you okay?" Edward said, probably concerned that I was becoming like Margot.

I calmed myself down. "I just find it funny that I caused that."

"You didn't cause it. She was crazy before that." He tried to reason with me but I refused.

"Yes, but I bought it out. She lost it and it was my fault." My voice changed from giggly to depressed in my realization. I couldn't believe myself when I pulled the prank and know I hated myself. Edward saw it on my face.

"Bella, it wasn't your fault. Please believe that." I looked into his eyes and I immediately did. I sighed and agreed with him. Just one more thing we had in common. Then I was reminded of piano lessons.

"Wait, what about lessons?" I was freaking out now. What if I didn't get to play anymore?

"We'll just have to have them at my house," he said nonchalantly. Now I was _really_ freaking out. Go to his house? Meet his family? I didn't think my brain would be able to take anymore.

"Um," I cleared my throat, "okay." I smiled faintly and he laughed.

"It will be alright, Bella." I loved it when he said my name. I would only be alright if he stayed next to me. My mind was in a jumble so I didn't realize that lunch was over. We got up and he threw out the food. He looked at it with a disgusted look on his face. I wondered what that diet was of his, yet again. We left the cafeteria and headed to Biology.

After school, we went straight to his house. He let his family go home in the Volvo and drove the truck and me to his house. I was afraid of seeing where he lived and having to meeting his family. We drove on a forest road to a place I had never seen before. Suddenly, we were parked in front of a monstrous white house. It was beautiful and modern. I gasped. He looked over and smirked at me.

We got out of the truck and headed towards the front door. Edward, looking as beautiful as ever, held the door open for me. I walked in and refrained from gasping again. A big glass wall was on the backside of the house so you could see the vast forest behind it. The walls had amazing paintings and the furniture was also white. Edward was standing next to me, watching my reaction.

"Do you like it?" he asked. I nodded; a sound like "Mm-hmm" came out. He smiled. He looked to the right and I mimicked him. A young couple whom I'd assumed was his parents were standing there casually, smiling.

"Mom, Dad, this is Bella Swan."

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**A/N: Will describe in next chapter. How do you like it so far? If you don't review, I won't want to write. Please remember that. I also wrote a poem about this story, so if you want it, review or PM. Thank you soooooo much!**

**P.S. Who saw the new Eclipse trailer? What do you think?**


	5. Chapter 4: Misguided Jokes

*It gets perverted down there, so beware

Chapter 4: Misguided Jokes

"_Mom, Dad, this is Bella Swan."_

Carlisle and Esme (Edward had told me their names in the car) seemed out of place as parents, as they both looked twenty-something. Carlisle had blond hair and those golden eyes and Esme had hair like flowing caramel with darker irises than the latter. Both were more beautiful than one the most praised actors, slender and graceful. Feeling insignificant, I shook their unsurprisingly freezing hands and was attacked by a little ballerina.

"Hi, Bella! I'm Alice!" She hugged me tightly and my eyes went wide. The other three looked surprised. They started to warn her (trying not to freak me out, I guess) but I hugged her back. It was so hard to hug her, she was so short. Her spiky black hair brushed my chin. Edward moved as if to pull her off, but she beat him to the punch.

"Alice, there's no need to kill the guest," Carlisle joked but his tone suggested something more, something to add to my investigation. I thought I was getting closer to finding out what they were, but I kept hitting brick walls. All I got was a family of crazily beautiful crime fighters. Somebody had their crazy flakes this morning. I needed to be more creative. I then saw Jasper, his tall figure standing completely still. All of a sudden, I was calm. Too calm. Hmmm. . .

"Hello, Bella," he said politely. With it came a feeling of welcome. I definitely added that to my list.

"Hi, Jasper," It was so easy now. As soon as I was feeling completely at ease, a cold wind blew it away. Black ice attached to a body was standing at the top of the stairs. Rosalie. A goofy grin came from nowhere and just hardly melted what it was behind. Emmett made a fast connection between me and Rosalie. _He_ even looked scared. He covered it and came down the stairs to greet me.

"Hey, beautiful," Yes, he received some looks. "What? Isn't that what her name means? Lighten up, guys." He laughed and I laughed with him.

"Hey," I replied, smiling. Thank goodness I didn't think to return the joke. Rosalie walked down the stairs and into another room without looking at any of us.

"And that's Rosalie," Edward said. The hate that I felt from her was felt by everyone. I would never understand it. For some reason, Alice laughed and Edward looked terrified and annoyed. Emmett and those big muscles of his tried to lighten the mood.

"So, is Eddie here still being a prude?" Emmett said, smiling hugely. Edward and Alice showed their feelings, groaning and grinning respectively.

"Emmett," Esme warned him, but was trying not to laugh. Emmett ignored her.

"Let me apologize on his behalf." Uh-oh. Before I could breathe, he lifted me up and put me over his shoulder. He ran up the stairs at a breakneck speed, yelling profanities at Edward that I couldn't quite understand due to the bouncing of Emmett's steps. They sounded like "finally getting shagged" and "you're certainly hard enough," but I couldn't be too sure. I hoped my ears were betraying me. He went through a door on what I presumed was the third story and dropped me gently on the couch. After regaining my equilibrium, I looked around the room I was in. It was bright with gold carpeting, that same window-wall, shelves and shelves of books and music, and a frustrated looking Emmett.

"Idiot doesn't even have a bed. They _could_ do it on the floor or that couch, but that doesn't really seem . . ." Emmett muttered. I tuned out the rest, my blush so grand my cheeks almost bled. Then, out of nowhere, Emmett was on the floor, pinned down by a furious, gorgeous Edward.

"Bella is my friend. Don't ever think or say things like that again." Now they were wrestling. I had to stop them before someone got hurt.

"HEY!" I yelled. I didn't dare go over there. It had "Danger Zone" written all over it. Surprisingly, they stopped right away. They sat on the floor and waited like little kids about to be scolded.

"Edward, Emmett was just joking. Apologize for attacking him," I said sternly. I didn't know where this control was coming from.

"But—"My look interrupted him. "I'm sorry, Emmett." He was very polite about it. Emmett grinned.

"Accepted." He had no idea he was next.

"Now Emmett, you insulted Edward and made him angry. Apologize." I said and nodded in Edward's direction. I hoped he knew better than to disagree. He gave me a look of utter disbelief. He realized it wouldn't make a difference if he did disagree so he turned to Edward.

He sighed. "Sorry, bro." They both stood up fluidly and started walking towards the door. I caught Edward's attention and gestured for him to stay. I walked behind Emmett until he exited the room. He turned around to see me in the doorway, the door open to a slither wide enough to see my whole face.

"Now, Emmett, if you don't mind, Edward and I have some "business" to attend to," I said and winked. The look on his face was so good that I had to close the door on it before I ruined the act by laughing. I turned around and held the giggles in. No need to go crazy again.

Edward was standing there in front of me. Even though it was casual, it felt like something else.

"Congratulations, you passed the test in freaking out Emmett." He smiled. The angels sang.

"I'll bet that doesn't happen often," I said through the haze of my thoughts. He was . . . _dazzling_.

"Only about once or twice." His expression changed to determination. He leaned down a little bit and wrapped his arms around me. Hugging me. Have I mentioned how good he smells? Imagine if the sun had a scent, and it was mixed with a honey-like smell. I wonder how he'd tas—

Never mind. Not wanting him to feel rejected (because he most certainly was not) I hugged him back. Stone. Cool, firm stone. He was an angel and I was in heaven. I breathed him in one more time before he pulled back. I looked at him adoringly.

"What?" he asked.

"You're an angel," I said without thinking.

"Bella, I'm just a . . . human." He said the last word in wondering tone. I was sure my face showed my confusion. Then I realized I was right in my observation. He really _wasn't_ human. I smiled slowly. He gave a "What?" face.

"Oh, nothing. I just realized that I was right about something." I thought I was crazy when I started contemplating that he was something else. The relief that I wasn't crazy was slowly up creeping on me. Now only to find out what he really was. . .

"Would you tell me?" He tried to use those eyes of his to get me to give it up. So not going to happen. Not yet. I kept my eyes on his face but didn't let them stray to his eyes.

"Nope." He sighed, sounding really sad. I accidentally looked into his eyes. They matched the sound of his sigh. Darn him.

"Um. . . Someday," I stuttered out. He lightened up a little bit.

"Good. Now, shall we start our lesson?" Even though it we lived in the 21st century, he sometimes talked like a turn-of-the-century character from the classics. I hoped that would help with my inquiry.

"Yeah. Where is you—"He shushed me silently.

"Bella, could you reach down and grab that?" he asked me. I looked down to the floor. All of a sudden, there was a huge trophy next to our feet.

"But it's huge!" I exclaimed.

"Thank you." Something wasn't right here. I looked back up to his face. He winked and mouthed _Emmett_. Listening at the door? Then it all made sense. . . EW! I glared at him, already regretting what I was about to do. I bent down and lifted it up. I grunted, just perfectly adding to this disgrace. Edward was going to pay for this.

"It's really cold. And shin—"

"MOM!!!" Emmett's scream echoed throughout the entire house. "Edward and Bella are doing it!!!"

The rest was drowned out by Edward's laughter. It was loud as ever, so enchanting that I joined him. He stopped abruptly.

"Close your eyes," he whispered. I obeyed without question. I felt a breeze and opened my eyes. Green, brown, forest. I was in the forest, alone.

"Edward? Edward!" I called. I was scared.

"Right here." I turned around. He was there, smiling like a little boy who just got his way.

"_What_ . . . just happened?" I said, slightly angry. I was done with his lies, and I knew he was about to tell me one. "You know what? Never mind. I'm going home . . . if I knew how to get there." I mumbled that last part. Where the heck were we? I started walking forward. Fortunately, I started to see a wall of glass. And then a river.

"Crap," I muttered.

I looked back and didn't see Edward. I groaned, frustrated. I turned to face the interloper that blocked my escape. Edward was standing there, across the river. There was no way he could have gotten over there. He gestured for me to look down. There were stepping stones across the width of the river. _Of course_. I asked a higher power to help me not trip and fall when I crossed. I walked as quickly as I could across, not even stumbling. No need to be angry, embarrassed, injured, _and_ wet. Using the same pace, I walked across the medium-sized backyard and found the door into the house. I walked into the house and saw all of the Cullen's, minus Esme and Emmett, sitting in the living room, talking.

"—werewolves." Carlisle was saying. He stopped when he saw me. I stopped and addressed them.

It was very nice to meet you all. Sorry I have to leave so soon, but my father will be expecting me. Goodbye," I said in a rush. I started walking towards the front door. Alice called my name, but I kept walking. I was out the door and in the truck when I finally looked around. He was standing in front of the car, which was facing the exit of the drive way. He was in my way. I started the car and didn't care if I hit him. He backed away before I could. I drove as fast as my truck would let me, hoping to not get lost in this green maze called Forks.

My anger turned to determination as I drove. I was not going to give up until I figured out what was up with him and his compulsive lying problems. All this questioning and confusion was going to end tonight, no matter the outcome.

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**A/N: How'd you like perverted Emmett and a surprisingly dirty Edward? I put a warning because I didn't know what my viewing party was. Poor Bella. Don't worry, it will get better. Well, thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 5: Iguales

Chapter 5: Iguales

"You're not afraid?" Edward asked. He was angry. I could see he was also defeated, like no matter what he did, I wouldn't change my mind. Which was true?

"No." I was fearless. I had confronted him.

"But you're angry with me." It wasn't a question. He already knew.

"Yes, because you didn't tell me." I scoffed. "My best friend, a—a—"

"Vampire." He was right in front of me, menace rolling off of him. I didn't know why, but I couldn't bring myself to say the word. Sure, I could say it before, but now that it involved this amazing being, I was finding it harder.

"Why? Why aren't you afraid?" he asked in a low voice. I heard footsteps and a door opening and I was off my feet, in Edward's arms. Maybe the girls' bathroom at school wasn't the best place to have this conversation. Edward's feet were suddenly on the toilet of the handicap bathroom we were in, crouching down, preparing to jump. We went from one stall to the other until we were in the opposite corner of the bathroom. I looked and saw that the lady now inspecting the recently occupied stall was the vice principal. Edward opened the door and we left, but didn't go far.

"You can put me down now." I was annoyed.

"As soon as you answer my question." Ugh. "Why aren't you afraid of me?"

"You are the kindest, sweetest person I have ever met. Just the fact that you aren't a rabid killer would have been enough for me. Wait, you don't drink . . . ?" The first part was soft, but the end went up in fear.

"Human blood? No"

"Good," I said before he could tell me I was wrong to trust him, which he undoubtedly would. He kept to his promise and set me down on my feet.

"How do you know I'm not lying?" he asked, almost defeated.

"I can see it in your eyes. It screams at me whenever I look at you. You're a good person," I finished with a definite tone. "What monster could play piano as beautifully as you?" I laughed, he smiled. "But you owe me an explanation about everything," and he frowned. "A-and a lesson," I stuttered, trying to wipe that frown away.

In a second, we were in a hidden corner in the hallway; the vice principal had come out the bathroom and stood where we just were. She scratched her behind and walked the opposite way. I giggled.

"Fine, we'll have a lesson today and I will tell you about it." Reluctance was thick in his voice.

"Oh, but first I have to meet with Jessica and Angela after school." I had to pick up a study guide that I needed really badly. There was no need to fail my classes.

"Alright. We have to get back to class now. I'll see you later." He brushed my hair behind my shoulder and was gone in a flash. Vampire speed was going to take getting used to; at least a lot of the things that kept me up at night thinking about made sense. Still, some things needed serious explaining.

I figured out what he was that day after leaving his house. Charlie was flipping through channels and the word "Vampire" popped up on screen. It hit me then, even though it was just one word. There was no question, no debate or research, just truth.

His scent lingered until I could find my muscles. He did things to my mind I've never experienced before. He messed with my brain, and I liked it. I tried to remember where my class was and walked blindly until I was standing right in front of it. I walked in and sat in my seat next to Jessica. She looked sad, probably because of Mike. She practically revolved around him. I felt bad for her because Mike liked me, even though I didn't feel the same way. Sometimes, just because he felt that way, she was not cordial to me. It's a hard-knock life.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;

As soon as the bell rang, I was out of the gym, too excited to wait for Edward to come to my class and walk with me. I left so early there was nobody in the parking lot. Then I remembered Edward was in a presentation and would be running late. I started walking to where I would meet Jessica and Angela when Mike tapped my shoulder. He looked excited.

"Hey, Bella. Where are you going so fast?" Completely friendly with a hint of territorialism.

"I was going to meet Jess and Angela. I have to pick something up." Slightly less friendly. He grabbed a strand of my hair, blowing in the January wind, tightly.

"Well, Bella, I was just thinking . . . . " Oh. No. He leaned in and his lips touched mine. Three seconds passed and it was over. He wasn't done, but he was gone. Mike was sitting against the building, looking flustered and a little sick. He looked up at me, surprised and questioning. He thought _I_ did it. I was thankful that Edward was fast. I went along with it.

"Don't touch me," I said angrily. I turned around and continued walking. I waited until he was out of sight to stop.

"Edward?" I whispered. He appeared, and I ran right to him and hugged him. "Thank you." I looked up at him and he was seething.

"No matter what I do, I can't keep boys from thinking those things about you," he whispered, probably so he wouldn't yell. Wait, boy_s_? As in multiple?

"Shhh." I tried to soothe him. I couldn't understand why he cared so much. "Don't worry about me. Just calm down." He took a deep breath and I watched as he slowly did what I said. I let go of him, but he kept his arm around my shoulders. People started coming out of the building and we walked to where Angela was standing alone. A small smile appeared when she saw Edward's arm around my shoulders.

"Where's Jess?" I asked.

"I don't know. She didn't come back from the bathroom." She looked worried and so was I.

"I'm sure she'll show up soon," Edward interjected. We both looked up at him. His eyes told us not to worry. How could we when we were looking at him?

I cleared my throat and broke the silence. "Do you have that study guide?"

Angela reached in her bag and pulled out some papers and handed them to me. "Thank you," I said fervently. She nodded.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked.

"Yeah."

Angela raised her eyebrows at me. I smiled.

"See you later, Ang," I said as we turned.

"Goodbye, Angela," Edward said gentlemanly.

"Bye," she replied, keeping her eyes down. I would have done the same thing. When under the influence of his eyes, you didn't know if you would be able to talk. We walked to the truck and I remembered the kiss.

"Does your family ever brush your teeth?" I asked Edward suddenly.

He seemed confused. His eyebrows pushed together. "Every once in a while."

"Good, because I'm going to wash my whole mouth out."

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After thoroughly brushing my teeth at the Cullen house, Edward and I started the lesson. He simply placed a piece of sheet music in front of me on the piano. He was smiling when I started to play, but I could tell it was a show. He stopped breathing after the first four measures. I looked over and saw that his face was deadly.

"You're playing it in the wrong key," he half-growled. He didn't look at me. I was utterly confused. Why in the world was he so angry? I stopped playing immediately.

"Tell me," I said sternly. He seemed shocked at my outright questioning but understood. His golden eyes drew me closer to him.

"Bella, what would you have done if _I_ had kissed you? If I had told you I loved you?" he whispered. The first question made sense, as it was pertaining to what happened today, but the second one came from nowhere.

_I would do the same_, my mind answered. It was there, what my mind had been trying to tell me for two weeks now. I loved Edward Cullen and I wanted to kiss him. There was no denying it. It was such a simple prospect now that I would not hesitate to admit it. The way he asked his questions made me think he felt the same way about me. The way he looked at me confirmed it. Our feelings were equal. Using my three years of Spanish, I answered him.

"_Lo mismo_," I whispered, as the distance between us was closed.

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**Thanks for reading. **_**Iguales **_**means "equal" or "same" and **_**Lo mismo **_**means "the same." Those are roughly translated so don't trust them :)**


	7. Chapter 6: All Strung Out

Chapter 6: All Strung Out

_It was a sight to be seen._ Snowing in Arizona. It didn't stick, of course, but each snowflake was like redemption for the dying man that was the desert. I couldn't have imagined a winter like this, mostly because I didn't remember them from when I was in Forks. I promised right then that if I found anything like this again, this beautiful rarity, this diamond in the rough, I would never let it go. I would cherish it for the rest of my life.

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That day when I was twelve was so much like right now. Edward's lips were cold against mine, but it felt as if I needed it; I had been missing this wonderful feeling since that first time nearly five years ago. I didn't like snow, but the feeling didn't change. This was my first kiss since I didn't count what Mike did as anything, really. I was caught in such bliss that I couldn't even be mad about it.

Our lips didn't move much, but it didn't matter and I didn't mind. A pang of electricity went through us at every touch, and this was _definitely_ no exception. A high-pitched squeal sounded, ripping through dimensions, and my eyes opened to see dark gold. Edward and I separated and looked to the stairs to see a blur of black and white. Must be Alice. She stopped moving, called for Esme excitedly, and ran off.

My face was hot and I couldn't look back at Edward. His cool hand took my chin and turned it towards himself. I watched his face as he smiled happily and saw that he had decided to do something. He let go of my chin and turned towards the piano. He played a song that I had never heard before, but it felt warm, comforting. Like home. I closed my eyes and let the music flow through me.

I noticed a string of notes and it brought me back to the first lesson we'd had. It was the song he had created after I had left. It had only been about three weeks since then. No composer had written a beautiful masterpiece like this in such a short time and definitely could not have performed it this perfectly without any sheet music. I guessed impeccable memory came with being a vampire. I was also amazed at how clearly it said "I love you."

The song ended and my eyes opened. Edward was looking at me, completely calm. How could he be so nonchalant about this?

"Edward," I breathed. "That was beautiful." I looked up at him, hoping my eyes conveyed what I felt. He put his arm around me and I melted.

"It's for you," he whispered in my ear. It confirmed the message I had received from the song. His nose skimmed the area in front of my ear, my most sensitive part. Was he _trying_ to give me a heart attack? He stopped and I looked at him. He looked shy about what he'd said. I smiled at him.

"Thank you." I wanted him to know that I appreciated this and felt the same way.

"You're welcome." I remembered we were having a piano lesson so I turned to the piano and played something I had picked up back in Arizona. "Claire De Lune" by Debussy; it was my favorite song until about five minutes ago. My rendition wasn't perfect, of course. But no matter what, I absolutely loved this feeling. It almost rivaled touching (and kissing) Edward. Almost. When the song was over, Edward looked surprised.

"How do you know this song?" He seemed to genuinely care about what I said and thought. His question was almost desperate.

"My mom played it around the house when I was younger and it stuck to me. My mother was bound to rub off on me sometime." I muttered the last part. He raised an eyebrow but I shook my head. Renee and I had never had much in common, but she was my rock. "It's one of my favorites."

He laughed softly. "It's one of mine, too." He smiled a wonderfully lopsided smile and my heart thumped. He chuckled.

"Did you hear that?" I asked with trepidation. I didn't want to sound crazy, but I wanted to know.

"Yes. Vampires have very good hearing. Some better than others." I wondered what he meant by that. Before I could find out, the flat screen TV in the living room turned on. The sound drifted through the open house and what I heard almost stopped my heart.

"Today in Forks," the newscaster began, "two policemen were killed near the north forest." It felt like my spine was gone. Charlie.

"Alice," someone said. I was too wrapped up in the news to care. Before I knew it, I was standing behind the white couch that Emmett was seated on. My hands were shaking as I waited to hear the names of the fallen.

"Police Chief Charlie Swan—"That was all I heard before I fell.  
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When I woke up, all I remembered was someone yelling my name and not hitting the floor. I realized I was lying on the white couch and looked up to see . . . an angel? No, Carlisle. He was inspecting me . . . . Right, he was a doctor. Wasn't he? Everything came back to me then, except for what had made me faint. I was at the Cullen's house and Edward Cullen was in love with me.

Right.

Wow.

I started to get up but Carlisle put his hand on my shoulder.

"Not so fast, Bella." He smiled. "How are you feeling?"

I took a deep breath in. "Fine." I nodded.

"Alright. Drink some water and sit for a couple minutes and you should be fine." He smiled again and walked away, patting my shoulder as he went. I saw a glass of water on the clear coffee table in front of me and gladly grabbed it. I couldn't believe how unbearably thirsty I was. I gulped it all down in a minute and sat back in the couch to relax. My eyes closed and I drifted, but not in sleep.

I thought about the day I'd had, feeling as if it were eventful enough to be a whole week even though it was only half over. All the emotion had made me exhausted. What had made me faint? I couldn't remember. I shook my head to try and clear it to no avail. I opened my eyes and examined a lock of my mahogany hair. It had a slight wave to it as if it was caught in between my mother's straight and my father's curly. Father. Dad. Charlie. Charlie!

I stood with a jolt. Edward, Alice, and Jasper came through the glass back door then and Edward and Alice rushed towards me. I was pacing back and forth crazily, probably looking like a psychopath.

"Bella! Bella, you're father is not dead." Edward assured me. I couldn't help it; my eyes were dropping tears like they were bombs.

"How do you know?" I sniffed. Alice chirped in.

"We checked. Heart beating, blood flowing." She winked. I laughed weakly. She knew that I knew. I guessed you couldn't really keep a secret in a house full of vampires.

"But what about the news? They said his name. . ."

"He was giving a statement. You're body reacted before you could hear the rest. Everything's alright, Bella." Edward took my hand and held it. The electricity calmed me in the oddest way. I sighed and sat back down, the other two in tow.

Alice patted my other hand and smiled at me. She was so friendly.

"Wait, if you already knew he wasn't dead, why did you go and check?" I looked at both of them, back and forth. Edward didn't answer, so Alice obliged. I guessed she wouldn't pass up a chance to talk.

"Edward knew you wouldn't have accepted it as it was." She giggled. The boy only new me a month and he knew my worst attribute; I could be incredibly stubborn sometimes. I gave him a semi-dirty look, but didn't go any further than that. After a moment of relief, something was grating on my nerves.

Charlie wasn't dead, but his friends were. I had to be there when he got home. I also needed time alone and I knew Charlie would be late so I would get it.

"I have to go home and make dinner for Charlie," I announced. I stood up yet again, said goodbye to Alice, and walked towards to the front door. Edward followed, his hand still attached to mine. I walked out the door and stopped on the porch. Sensing my stress, he pulled me into a hug.

"I'm always here for you, Bella," he murmured into my hair.

"Thank you," I said into his shoulder. If I didn't say this now, I didn't know when I would. "I love you," I whispered. I felt him smile against my hair.

"As I love you." He kissed my forehead. I broke the hug but he kept his arm around my waist as we walked to my truck. I remembered that I hadn't gotten an explanation about vampires today. He opened the drivers' side for me and offered to drive me home. I declined, saying I needed to be alone, which wasn't a lie. I reminded him of the other part of his promise from earlier that day, the explanation. He nodded and closed the door after I got in.

When I got home, I only made it to the living room when I collapsed on the couch. I fell asleep and didn't have a single dream. I woke up two hours later to a still empty house and began to make dinner.

Charlie arrived home an hour later as I was pulling the casserole out of the oven. He looked about as worn out as I did and we just hugged each other for a minute. Neither of us asked and we ate in silence. Thankfully, it was Friday and I didn't have to school the next day.

After dinner, I did the dishes and dragged myself up the stairs. I could only bring myself to pull on the sweats that I used as pajamas. I was still too tired and strung out that I fell asleep the second my head found the pillow.

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**A/N: Sorry it was vague at the end. Bella was too tired to give you details. Explanations in the next chapter for sure. I want to thank those that read this story and who have reviewed and given me feedback. It really does help me. I'm a beta reader now so feel free to ask me for help. Eclipse in 8 days! Poor, tired Bella. Isn't Alice just darling? And don't you just LOVE Edward? I know I do. I'm writing a one-shot about him, so look out for that. And remember one thing…**

**REVIEW.**

**Hehe thank you!**

**-Kj**


	8. Chapter 7: A Million Miles an Hour

**Chapter 7: A Million Miles an Hour**

I woke with a jolt. I looked around my small room, but didn't see anything. I could have sworn I had felt something cold on my face. It had almost felt like a caress. I shook that feeling off and looked at my alarm clock. 7:58 a.m. Glad I hadn't slept in, I turned the lamp on—It was still too dark to see, obviously another cloudy day—and felt the need to go to my window. I opened the curtains, and, sure enough, it was overcast. I groaned. Was the sun _ever_ going to shine here? I wondered idly if they even sold sun block at the convenience store. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.

It was probably freezing, but I had an aching need to open the window. When I had first come here, for a reason unbeknownst to me, I had tried to open the window. After a minute, I'd only gotten an inch off the sill, so I had given up and shut it, closing the paltry distance. I knew I would have to try harder this time, use a little elbow grease. I mustered up all of my strength and pushed upward. It flew up without a hitch, and, combined with the gale of wind passing through, pushed me backward and caused me to lose balance, ending in me landing on my butt. All the wind gusted out of me and I sat on the floor trying to get it back.

In the quiet moment, the window crashed back down. I half-screeched and Charlie ran into my room.

"Bells? What happened?"

"The window," I gasped out. "Don't worry about it." I got up off the floor and looked down at myself. I was still wearing clothes from yesterday. I had also neglected to shower. "I'm going to take a shower and do the laundry. I'll probably clean and go to the store later."

"Okay, Bell. Be careful," he said with an odd expression on his face. I took a real look at him and saw that he was dressed in fishing gear.

"What are you doing today, Dad?"

"I'm going fishing with Billy Black. Things have slowed down at the station lately so I figured I'd take a break. But I could stay home . . . ," he trailed off. I wasn't buying that. I was touched that he had considered staying home with me, but I wasn't going to let him.

"No, Dad, that's okay. Go relax." I smiled, relaying to him that it was okay.

"Alright. Bye." Charlie stood in the doorway for a moment, then turned and left me alone. We had always had a problem expressing our feelings for each other. I loved him and he loved me. We both knew that, but hardly ever told each other. I didn't really know why. I grabbed my clothes for the day and my bathroom bag (the product of one bathroom) and headed towards the bathroom.

I looked in the mirror; eyes wide, hair like a haystack, chest heaving. After Charlie had gone it had all come back to me. What had I felt against my cheek? Why had the once rusty window opened so easily? Why had I been so drawn to it? And what was up with that dream?

I pondered that last one as I entered the shower and attempted to ease my tense muscles. I had been in a city, one I hadn't seen before. I was standing in the middle of the street, right on the yellow lines. To my right was an average man with cropped brown hair, odd violet eyes, and pale skin; someone I hadn't seen before. To my left had been the twitching form of a Native American boy who seemed vaguely familiar. I turned and looked behind me and saw Mike. Not particularly liking that, I turned back around and Edward was standing there, looking perfect even in a dream.

All equal distances away from me, they started walking towards me at exactly the same time. They were coming at me from all sides, walking together as if trained to do so. I turned around in circles, not frightened but also not jumping for joy. I backed up, forcing them to make a semi-circle in front of me. About two feet away, they raised their right arms, bent at the elbows, palms facing themselves. I closed my eyes and waited for the dream to end until I felt a cold object just barely touching my right cheek. I looked and saw a single white hand there.

That's when I had woken up.

The shower had run cold. I quickly finished and got out. I dressed in a daze. I took a little time to myself and blew my hair dry. My dream had gotten my thinking. Had Edward been in my room? How much did I really know about him? I knew his tastes in art and all of the other little things, but what about his past? His family's past?

I realized that we had gone a million miles an hour and we needed to know each other more. It meant that we would have to go slower, wait it out to see if our relationship would work. It also meant the physical side would take a downturn. Probably no kissing. I didn't think I could live with that. Touching him was an added plus. Not everything had to change, right?

I spent the day cleaning. I had meant to go to the store too, but Charlie had obviously forgotten how to dust. How did the man _live_?

I started a load in the washing machine and tried to not think of the almost-accusation I'd given Edward as I went back upstairs to clean the bathroom. A solid five hours later, the bathroom was as clean as it was ever going to be and the laundry was done. I did the best I could with the rest of the rooms in the house. Charlie had never been a good cook so the kitchen didn't need cleaning. That was probably going to change now that the kitchen duties had been handed to me. Oh joy.

I didn't really mind, though. I was used to it and my father was a good guy. He deserved a day off with his long-time friend Billy Black, who lived on the Quileute reservation down the road. He had twin daughters that I was forced to play with when I was younger and a son. His wife died a couple of years ago in a car accident and Charlie said he had been down for a while after. I was glad to see that they were still friends and had their favorite hobby to do together. I would never understand fishing.

Charlie got home at six and provided me with dinner ingredients. Fish. Great. I did the best I could with what I had and regretted not going to the store. That was definitely the main priority for tomorrow.

I served Charlie and myself; he seemed perfectly content. He got into his meal and I didn't disturb him. When he was halfway done, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Bells, Billy and Jacob are coming over tomorrow to watch the game—"

"Jacob?" The name had sparked something in me.

"Yeah, Billy's son. Listen, do you mind making dinner for everyone tomorrow?" He seemed unsure.

"No, I don't mind." I really didn't, because the boy in my dream now had a name. And soon enough, he'd have a face.

I watched TV with Charlie after dinner. After two mind-numbing episodes of some sitcom, I bowed out and went up to my room. I didn't know how people could stand to watch that stuff. I already felt stupider.

I used the study guide Angela had given me to study for the trig test on Monday. I heard a knock . . . at my window. It was probably just a branch, so I ignored it. Two seconds later, it happened again, but sounded more like a rock this time. Not a pebble, a boulder. I shifted ever so slightly and saw something white on the glass. What the he—

"Bella? Are you going to let me in?" A muffled voice came from outside.

"Edward!" Who else did I think it was? But I knew. I had thought it was the other man from my dream. The other _vampire_. If the rest of them were real, why couldn't he be?

I ran the five steps from my desk to the window and easily glided it open. And there he was, sitting on the sill in front of me. His hair was wet from the rain and a crooked smile appeared as he leaned against the siding. He looked, well, _hot_. A slow smile crept up my lips before my hormonal teenage side disappeared. After it quickly did, I realized that he shouldn't be here.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered.

"I'm breaking all the rules now. Since I'm going to—"

"Bella?" Oh no! It was Charlie. I spun around, having no idea how to explain what he was surely seeing: one of the devastatingly handsome sons of the towns' best doctor in his teenage daughters' room. I was surprised when his eyes didn't bug out of their sockets so I took a covert look to find the window shut and vampire-less.

Hoping it didn't take too long and look suspicious, I answered him. "Yeah, Dad?"

"Everything okay in here, kid?" He raised his eyebrows. I was jumpy and a horrible liar and I ruined everything.

"Yeah, totally. I was just about to go to bed." It came out in a rush. The frantic nodding probably didn't help either. He didn't seem to want to question it any further so he turned to leave.

"Alrighty," he looked me up and down. "'Night, Bells."

"Goodnight, Dad." Charlie left and closed the door behind him. I exhaled in a gust. I turned back to the window and, sure enough, he was there. He took me and kissed my forehead, his mischievous side gone for now.

"I'm sorry if I came at a bad time. I can leave." He whispered.

"No!" I exclaimed quietly. "It's okay. I actually needed to talk to you about something." I had to tell him about the realization I had come across earlier. I took his hand and led him to my bed to sit down. I shifted awkwardly next to him. He studied my face.

"What is it, Bella?" He asked curiously. I trudged on and told him.

"I was thinking, uh, that we should get to know each other . . . more. You know, take it slow." I spluttered it out. _Smooth_.

He looked at me with a peculiar expression on his face. "So was I." There is a god. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. I was afraid I was alone." Edward was still looking at me weird. "What?" I asked, feeling self-conscious.

"I figured I had been the only one. I thought you would have been okay with it, but I was wrong. You never cease to surprise me." He smiled, I blushed. It was becoming routine. But I hadn't forgotten one of the main reasons for this conversation.

"Now that we have established that, Mr. Cullen, I believe you have a promise to uphold. I said this with joking assurance, because I was about to get some answers.

"Which is?" Like he didn't already know. I raised my eyebrows disbelievingly at him. He gave in.

"What would you like to know about us?" _Us_ meaning vampires. I asked him a question about something that had been bothering me.

"Why are your eyes that color? Is it because of the . . . blood?" Not that I didn't mind. I loved his eyes.

"Yes, for those of us who find animals a better choice. The others' are red." Even though I already knew he didn't kill humans for food, it was still nice to hear. He seemed already reluctant to answer questions. But I had him all night if I wanted, and there would be no question unanswered.

"Why is it that your family drinks animal blood?" I didn't want to force it out of him, but this stuff was important.

"We don't want to be monsters, Bella," he said roughly, quietly. After that, he seemed to be more open to answering. He told me a vague past of his family and himself. His age shocked me. No matter how convincing his 17-year-old body was, my boyfriend was 109. _Boyfriend_. I quite liked the sound of that. After all the serious stuff was over, I asked him something random.

"So, any special abilities?" Edward nodded.

"So can you, like, read minds or something?" I asked jokingly, laughing. He didn't answer.

"Oh. _Ohhhh_." My face turned red. What had he heard in my head?

"I can read the minds of everybody around me, except for you." A line creased his forehead, as if marble could do that. I internally sighed in relief. That could have been really embarrassing. I didn't like the way he fretted about this, though.

"Well, don't worry about it. I'm a freak," I said simply.

The line disappeared. "Bella, you are anything but a freak."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," I allowed, then laughed. He looked away and didn't say anything.

"Seriously? You don't sleep?" I asked, a little annoyed for a reason I didn't know.

Edward turned his face back to me with a small smile. "Not at all."

"Hmph." I took a moment to let my annoyance pass. Then I remembered something. "Wait; is that how you knew about Mike the other day?"

"Yes. I heard what that _child_ was thinking and I nearly k—" He sucked in a deep breath.

"Killed him?" I offered. I didn't want to give him a hard time for it, so I comforted him. After all, it was his nature. "But you didn't. You saved me. That's all that matters." I told him in a soft voice.

"You love me more than I deserve," he whispered almost inaudibly. "I have killed people before. Don't ever forget that." His tone hardened. He was almost menacing.

"If you're trying to scare me off, it's not going to work," I said. I was already in too deep.

"Bella, I could kill you. You have no idea how badly I want to. Ever since your first day of school, I've had to test my limits just by sitting next to you. I shouldn't have kissed you yesterday, it was unacceptably. I'm s—" Wait, was he trying to back out of this? No way was I going to let that happen. So I took his face in my hands and kissed him. He returned it after a second and, before I knew it, we were laying down. His lips were soft and urgent and I lost control. I became light-headed and pulled away so I could breathe.

"Apology not accepted," I gasped out. Amazingly, he wasn't angry.

"Like I said, you never cease to surprise me." He chuckled. "But I don't see how this goes with what we agreed on earlier."

"There are exceptions to every rule." I smiled.

"You know, you are testing my self-control."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"Both. Definitely both." I was so happy I had him there, right beside me. I didn't want him to leave. I looked over him to the alarm clock on my bedside table and saw that it was past one a.m. I yawned involuntarily. Edward realized that it was time for me to sleep so he started to get up.

"No! Don't go." I honestly didn't think I could sleep without him now that he was already there. He contemplated it for a second and lied back down. He moved his arms as if to wrap them around me but reached for the blanket and wrapped it around me, claiming that it was to keep me warm.

"By the way, tomorrow is your day. You can ask me anything you don't already know about me." I told him. I wasn't going to leave him out in the cold. He would get answers, too. I closed my eyes before he could respond. I wasn't quite able to sleep, but when Edward though I had fallen asleep, he wrapped his arms around me. I repressed a smile and drifted off.

That was the first night I slept in Edward's arms.

**AN: That was the longest chapter I have EVER written. It was supposed to be longer but I cut it short. What did you think? PLEASE tell me. I would love to know.**

**Btw, who saw Eclipse? I thought it was perfectly amazing. And the title for this chapter is a song from the soundtrack. Sigh. I'm tired. Thank you for reading! Review!**

**-Kj**


	9. Chapter 8: Like Whoa

**Chapter 8: Like Whoa**

I awoke, feeling more rested than I had in my entire life. It was cool in my bed, and there was something hard next to me. I ignored it; my internal clock told me that it was time to start the day. Part of me just wanted to lie there, breathing in a beautiful scent, feeling too content for it to be real. I remembered a dream I'd had about an attractive man that I had been kissing . . . a lot. I blushed when I realized it hadn't been a dream. A smooth object ran across said embarrassing face coloring and my eyes shot open.

Perfection. I was surprised and happy, not only because Edward was there, but for something else. As his cool thumb brushed across my cheek the gesture felt loving; not at all like the day before. That caress had been possessive. Even though I should have been completely creeped-out about a man touching my face in my sleep, I knew that the potential stalker hadn't been Edward. Looking up at his face, I couldn't fathom how I had even conceived a thought that accused him.

His golden eyes stared intently down to where his hand rested against my face.

"I love that," he murmured, brushing the blush to emphasize what he loved.

"I'm glad my bodily functions amuse you," I replied. We smiled at the same time. He told me he had to go back home and change and left me to get my human bearings.

I left my window open for when Edward came back. He certainly wasn't coming in the front door with Charlie here. I didn't know why, but I had the weirdest feeling that Charlie wouldn't like Edward. I cringed while thinking about the things Charlie would do or say to him if he showed up at our door. I would probably be like if he had caught Edward last night, except for that would have ended in Charlie shooting his gun at Edward. That was probably over dramatic, but Charlie was an old-fashioned guy. Nevertheless, a Charlie-Edward interaction would have to be avoided until I was ready for Charlie's "father" side to come out. I shuddered at the thought.

Edward came back almost as soon as I had finished getting ready for our day together. The latter sounded unbelievably enticing, even though I was going to be murdered by questions about my life while shopping for groceries. After walking back to my room from the bathroom, I was shocked to find Edward sitting in my rocking chair, pondering my Brontë's and Austen's. He looked so relaxed and unbearably gorgeous that my breath caught in my throat.

He stopped flipping though _Sense and Sensibility_, put it back, and crossed the room so fast it would have scared any normal, sane person. It should have bothered me that I wasn't either of those things, but right then I honestly didn't care.

"That shirt looks lovely on you," he murmured. My cheeks heated and I looked down at my blue sweater. He took my blush as a "thank you."

Edward put both of his hands very lightly on my shoulders. They ghosted up and down my arms slowly, they only sound was our breathing. His breath, sweet as anything, blew across my face as I stood there, paralyzed by the very essence of _him_. There was barely an inch between us. His face skimmed down to my throat, my body not even registering the possible danger. I felt his lips press against my neck, kissing where I was pretty sure my jugular was, and then skimmed back up to my ear. Confusion possessed me to ask.

"What are you doing?"

"Controlling myself," he whispered. Before I could question what he meant, my moth was covered by his. A little wave of desire rolled in me and I put my hands on his sides and pulled myself closer to him, as I could not move stone.

He kissed me lightly, swiftly, _sweetly_. Edward brought his hands to my waist as I moved mine to his shoulders. He laid his forehead against mine and I remembered that life existed just outside my bedroom door.

"I have to go downstairs and act like I'm not doing anything exciting today and you're not helping. At all." I grinned and he chuckled.

"And why would you have to do that?"

"So Charlie doesn't get suspicious and eventually try to kill you." He raised his eyebrows. "Never mind," I said quickly. I told him to wait outside while I gave Charlie my alibi. I laughed internally at that.

To my surprise, Charlie was not at the table eating breakfast but talking on the phone, donning his police uniform. He hung up after I had sat down with my cereal and proceeded to explain the former.

"I have to go in today. Paperwork and all that." He didn't seem too happy about it.

"Okay, Dad. What time are the Black's coming over?"

"I think 5:00. Do you think you'll be ready by then?"

"Yeah, that's fine." I nodded. That was more than enough time. Charlie's absence made room for Edward's attendance today. As soon as Charlie left, I ran (without killing myself) to my truck to find Edward sitting in the driver's seat. I walked right up to his window.

"Nuh-uh, buddy," I said jokingly/disapprovingly. "Get out." When he was about to protest, I said, "I drive, you ask your questions." Might as well get it over with.

Surprisingly, it was warm outside. Once we were settled in our correct seats and leaving my street, Edward didn't hesitate to ask me about every insignificant fact of my paltry life. I was sure I hadn't talked so much in my life, even in the short drive to the Thriftway. It didn't matter, though; Edward was the only thing that mattered.

During a break in the inquiry, when Edward paused to ponder over one of my answers, a song drifted into my head:

_Life is good I can't complain_

_I mean I could but no one's listening_

_Your image overwhelms my brain_

_And it feels good, good, good_

_Now I'm rolling my windows down_

_I love the wind but I hate the sound_

_You're like a tattoo that I can't remove_

_And it feels good, it feels good, it feels good_

It pretty much summed up how I felt, give or take a few lines. During the drive, there was always some form of a smile on my face. It didn't fade as I grabbed a cart and walked into the store with Edward at my side. To be honest, I was excited to see him in such a human setting. I'd wondered how he would handle it.

I soon found out as I searched for the ingredients for the considerably-larger-than-usual dinner up ahead; he looked questioningly at everything, muttering about how "unhealthy and preposterous" food had become. It was so intriguing; I watched him a lot. He walked ahead of me when I stopped to grab something I had almost forgotten. I walked into the canned foods section where he supposedly was and saw him looking at something, completely confused. He looked pretty adorable. I went closer and saw that he was holding a can of beets.

"How can people _eat_ this?" He muttered disgustedly. The hilarity of the whole situation caused me to burst out laughing. Everyone in the aisle looked at me weird. Edward turned to smirk at me. Man, did I want to kiss him . . . I shook my head and continued on with shopping. I purposefully avoided the frozen meat. _Good call_, I thought to myself. I didn't want anything bad to happen. Edward continued to question me lightly, stopping only once to glare at a guy who had been eyeing me, considering. Yeah, I blushed. Flattered _and_ embarrassed, I nudged Edward with the cart, signaling him to keep moving. The guy looked scared out of his wits; he averted his gaze and was gone.

Luckily, we didn't have any more incidents, except for when Edward insisted on paying for everything. I would have bumped him out of the way, but then I would have needed a new hip; which probably cost more than a couple of bags of food. Being stone was obviously only an advantage for someone who was. No matter how fascinating he was at a grocery store, I was kind of mad at him. I turned his questions on him.

"Which part would you like to explain first: the part where you almost made the phrase 'If looks could kill' literal or when you paid for everything?" I didn't say it angrily, just calmly.

He hesitated. "Bella, you didn't hear what he was thinking." Now _he_ was angry. "I can't _believe_—"

"Shh." We were in the car now, so I took his hand and tried to soothe him.

"I should go back in there and—"

"No, you shouldn't," I interrupted him. "He wasn't going to do anything. I'm fine; that's all that matters."

"Bella . . . ," he almost pleaded.

"Edward, if you killed everyone who had one less then honorable thought about someone else, it would be extinction. Does that sound smart?"

"It wasn't just one," he muttered, still mad. This is how I scored this conversation – Self-image: 1. Edward's rationality: -5.

I started the truck and started driving. Edward had yet to explain the other part. As if he could read my mind, but thankfully couldn't, he explained.

"Since I plan to be with you forever, I thought I would start paying for everything now." He said it softly. I couldn't be mad at that. My smile was so big my lips almost split. I ended up driving one-handed, for my other hand was being held lovingly.

When I got home, I made the roast and put it in the oven; I'd make the other stuff later, closer to dinner time. With it only being the early afternoon, I asked for another piano lesson. Edward gladly agreed. I made sure nothing would explode while we were gone and made my way to the truck. I let him drive this time. On the way to his house, he asked me about my views on politics and economics. What an _interesting_ conversation.

When we entered his house, Alice attacked us.

"Hi, Bella! I'm so glad you came!" You couldn't call Alice annoying no matter how much you might have wanted to. She was just so happy and inviting; sometimes a little scary. I spotted Jasper across the room and smiled shyly at him; I instantly felt calm and welcomed. I would have to ask Edward if any of his family members had special talents like him. I greeted Esme and was glad to neither Emmett nor Rosalie in sight. They both kind of scared me. Carlisle was at the hospital, most likely. I wondered how he managed to work there, being what he was.

I looked back and Edward and was captivated his eyes. I had learned recently that they were gold because of what he ate and gradually got darker as he needed to feed. He and his family were so interesting; I could be around them hundreds of years and probably never get bored.

We sat at the piano and talked about codas and fermatas. He played a song that I almost instantly recognized: "Rêverie" by Debussy, one of my favorites. He noticed that I was really happy about it and asked me if I wanted to try. He pulled sheet music seemingly out of nowhere and placed it in front of us. I plunked away, trying my hardest to get it right. It wasn't happening.

I had to stop. No one should have to endure hearing that. Edward saw my frustration.

"You just need to relax. It's a key secret to all pianists." He smiled and put his hands on my shoulders and moved them gently back and forth. Needless to say, I was relaxed.

I tried again. I was cautious, so it was slower than its original, but I did it. I gasped and turned to Edward.

"I did it!" I exclaimed. "You're the best teacher. Ever. Seriously," I added when he looked doubtful.

"Well you are an exquisite learner." He paused for a second. "Shall we go back to your house? It's nearly four o'clock." I mentally cursed Father Time. I didn't want to leave.

But I did. Charlie wasn't home when we got there, so I had Edward for a little longer. Wondering if he could do it, I asked him to help me finish preparing dinner. He hesitantly agreed, cautioning that he could ruin everything. I scoffed at the thought that he could ruin _anything_.

We were just finishing when Edward stopped. "Charlie is home," he explained. "Do you wish for me to stay or—? "

"Leave," I interrupted. He looked confused. "Um . . . Well, we're having guests, uh. . . " I couldn't come up with anything to say, so I just shut up.

"Who?" I hadn't told him?

"The Black's. They're from the reservation." Edward's expression didn't make any sense.

"Hm. Then I _should_ leave." What did he mean by that? I stopped him before he could go.

"Um, am I going to see you later?" I really wanted him in my room tonight. To talk to him. _Yeah, right_. I told the smarty-pants side of me to keep her mouth shut.

"If you want me." His eyes told me he would be there anyways. I nodded short, jerky nods. I heard the door handle rattle. Edward kissed my forehead and disappeared. His speed was still disorienting.

Charlie walked in, sniffed, and walked towards the food. He ignored me and reached a hand out.

"Hey! Dad. Can't you wait?" I laughed.

"Sorry, Bells. It just looks and smells so good." Little did he know that it was mostly because of Edward. He had been better at it than he'd thought; he was even better at it than me.

"Thanks, Dad." I watched Charlie to make sure he didn't eat anything. I was glad to see that he wasn't mourning over his fellow policemen. Maybe he hadn't known them that well. The news said they were killed by wild dogs; wolves or something.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Charlie went to get it while I waited nearby. I was anxious to see Jacob, to give the Native American boy from my dream a face. Every man in my dream would have something to be called and recognized by; I'd named the other vampire Jim. It seemed to fit.

I heard a door opening and friendly greetings. Ready to complete my dream, I walked towards the happy sounds. But it was not Jacob that I saw first; it was Billy. Seated in a wheelchair, this majestic man was a blast from my past.

"Hello, Bella. It's good to see you." He held out his hand.

"Hi, Billy. You, too. It's been years," I said, shaking his hand.

"Come on in," Charlie said. I looked up to the person wheeling Billy inside the house. He was the facsimile of the boy. I realized he'd always had a face, but it had been shrouded; the light now shined brightly onto it. Jacob looked at me—or already had been—then. He was probably fifteen or sixteen; he had long black and an infectious smile.

Charlie took Billy to the table where Billy complimented the meal and Charlie enthusiastically agreed.

"Hi. I'm Jacob." I couldn't help but smile at him. We shook hands and I introduced myself. It was the polite thing to do.

Dinner was a pleasant ordeal, with very many compliments directed towards me. I didn't like all the attention. We talked about random things and sort of reminisced. All of the males had seconds. When everyone was done, Charlie and Billy went to go watch a game. Sigh.

Jacob stayed behind and offered to help clean up.

"No, no. That's okay, I've got it." I tried to reassure him, but I secretly hoped he would insist. There was a big mess.

"But I want to." He looked so sincere that I couldn't refuse.

"Okay, but if you get hurt, it's not my problem." He laughed. Even his laugh was infectious. I had to admit, he was a cutie.

We cleaned the table and did the dishes while Jacob talked about life on the reservation. For some reason, I found it interesting. I told him what little there was to know about me, but left out all the Edward-y parts.

"And I play the piano." Except for that one.

"Really? That's awesome." I could tell that he really thought that.

The clean-up didn't take long, thanks to Jacob, so we joined our fathers. The game was even worse than a sitcom; at least I could be funny. I couldn't play a sport to save my life.

The team the guys were rooting for won. Billy and Jacob left with delighted faces and happy stomachs. They promised to come back soon. As soon as they were driving away, I realized that I really liked Jacob. I could tell he really liked me too. Maybe a little too much. He would be a good friend, though.

I remembered Edward's promise from earlier and an overwhelming need to go upstairs surged through me. I headed for the stairs.

"Wait, Bella." Dang it. I turned around and saw Charlie looking at me. I suppressed a groan. I _really_ wanted to go upstairs.

"Yeah, Dad?" _Might as well hear what he has to say_, I thought.

"I forgot to ask before. How are your piano lessons going?" Amazing. Perfect. Incredible.

"Fine," I said instead. Charlie's gaze turned suspicious.

"Bells, please don't lie to me. I heard about Reynolds's. What have you been doing after school?" His worried parent mode had turned on.

"I've been going to lessons, I swear. Just not at Reynolds's. Obviously." He didn't seem to believe me.

"Then where have you been going?" Charlie tried to make his tone less accusatory.

"To my teacher's house." I wished he would stop grilling me and drop it. He didn't.

"Is this teacher male or female?" Charlie was getting impatient. So was I.

I huffed. "Male. Dad, can we—"

"What's his name?" My eyebrows furrowed angrily. If I weren't mature for my age, I would be yelling and stomping my feet right up the stairs.

"His name's Edward." There was no use in lying now. I wasn't that good at it anyways.

"How old is he?" It's like he wasn't going to stop until he knew every single detail.

_One-hundred-and-nine_. "Seventeen. Do you want his social security number, too?" Oh how I loved sarcasm. Charlie seemed confused.

"Wait. Edward _Cullen_? One of Dr. Cullen's kids?" He calmed down a bit. But my secret was out.

"Yes. Is that _okay_?" My tone was curt. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes.

"Mm-hmm." His mood had taken a complete one-eighty. "But I'd like to meet him someday. Soon." I didn't suppress this groan.

"Sure. 'Night, Dad." I turned and ran upstairs then. I heard a faint "goodnight" from below. Truthfully, I understood where he was coming from. He didn't want his daughter going to heaven knows where and doing heavens knows what. I walked into my room, exasperated, when I saw aforementioned piano teacher sitting on my bed, laughing.

"You heard that?"

"Yes," he said in between chuckles.

"It's not funny," I fumed. "You know, if I could slap you and not hurt myself, I would totally be doing that right now." I didn't wait for him to respond. I grabbed my stuff for a shower and went to the bathroom. After my shower, I considered not going back to my room at all just to annoy Edward as he had annoyed me. Knowing I could never do that, I trudged back to my room.

He was in the same spot as before, but thankfully was no longer laughing.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you," he said. He opened his arms, hoping for me to come to him. I flung my things to the corner of the room and ran lightly—to not alert Charlie downstairs—across the room to him. Naturally, I tripped right before him, but fell right into his arms, as if it was meant to happen all along. Edward's eyed darkened slightly, as if my proximity caused him to become thirsty. I wouldn't have doubted it; he'd said once that my blood was more appealing to him than any humans had been before. Ever.

He didn't do anything to quench that thirst, though. He loved me too much to hurt me. His now amber eyes said that all by themselves. He kissed my head, and then stayed in the general vicinity, seeming to like my wet hair. We stayed like that for a little bit until he turned and placed me on the bed. He tucked me in and lay down hesitantly next to me. I smiled, letting him know that was _perfectly_ okay with me.

"I have a question . . . ." It had been bothering me for a while now.

"Nuh-uh, buddy," he said, clearly mocking me from earlier. "It is still my day." I couldn't believe that he could have _more_ questions to ask me.

"What more could you want to know? I've told you everything."

"Not since this evening's events." He was right. I allowed further questioning. "Why were you angry with Charlie for asking you about me?"

Ah, the question I'd known he'd ask. He apparently had been confused by it.

"I just don't know how he would take it if he finds out about . . . you and me. I just worry about him, is all." I smiled weakly at the end. It wasn't the complete truth, but it was good enough.

Edward looked off indifferently as if what he was about to say was no big surprise. "I would like to meet him one day, too. Officially, as your boyfriend." He turned his head back to me at the end, waiting for a response. The only thing I could do was smile obnoxiously and internally squeal. It was the first time he'd said it! The normal teenage girl inside me did a happy dance. I told her to mind her own business.

"I'd like that, too." His answering smile was huge, if not bigger than mine. He leaned his head down and touched his lips to mine. It was perfect. That was the only word to describe it.

"I'll allow you one question, and then you must go to sleep." He was concerned about my health. If only he knew that I'd gotten the best rest of my life because of him last night.

"Why were you teaching at Reynolds's?" His family was so reclusive that I didn't know why he was teaching people how to do something.

"I thought I would use my talents to help people, like Carlisle. I was trying to make the best of what I am." How in the world did I deserve him? He was whole-heartedly _good_.

"I have a question in return," he went on. "Why aren't you afraid?" His voice darkened. It didn't take me long to answer.

"Because of the very thing you just said. You're good, Edward. There's no denying that." He looked into my eyes, searching.

When he found nothing of contempt, he kissed my forehead and bade me good night. "I wish you sweet, happy dreams," he whispered. Once again, when he thought I was asleep, he put his arms around me.

My dream was that much the same as the one I'd had before. Or so I'd thought. Edward, Mike, and Jim were all there, looking the same, but Jacob was replaced by a friendly dog. Or rather, he _was_ the dog. As they approached me, they all had goofy grins on their faces that I couldn't help but find laughable—the whole dream was laughable. Dream me laughed and the dream ended before they got any closer. I should really stop taking what my subconscious mind spews at me so seriously.

A silly smile was on my face when I woke up, knowing that Edward would be there. I opened my eyes to see and amused and confused expression on his face.

"Good morning," he murmured.

"Fantastic morning," I corrected. "What are you thinking about?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He smirked. "Something you said in your sleep last night rather confused me." Sleep-talking was another curse of mine, along with clumsiness and the inability to lie convincingly.

"What was it?" I asked, although I was afraid to find out. Edward pursed his lips.

"You said 'Good dog'," he answered, completely confused. All I could was laugh; there was nothing I could say to explain that.

He left so we could both get prepared for the day. I was kind of jealous that he didn't have as much to do as me. _It's because he's a vampire_, I thought. Then added, _And a guy_.

Edward was waiting for me when I got out of the bathroom. He looked exuberant. He just took me into his arms and spun me around, like in the movies. We were both laughing, basking in the happiness. He set me down but didn't loosen his hold on me.

"Why are you so happy? Not that I object." I loved this side of Edward. He was magnificent.

"My family can surprise me sometimes." I was going to ask what he meant by that, but his lips were in the way; and there was no way I was going to push those away.

We kissed joyously and I didn't care that I couldn't breathe. Again, that song drifted into my head.

_In the morning it begins again_

_Feels like I'm falling, better strap me in_

_I think I'm running out of oxygen_

_And it feels good, it feels good, it feels good_

Charlie wasn't home, probably already at work. Edward stayed with me during breakfast. He eyed the cereal box suspiciously; I chuckled.

"You have to stop doing that. It's not like it's going to sprout arms and strangle me to death." I was still laughing.

He sighed and relaxed his stare. "I'm sorry. I just don't wish for you to become ill." I understood. He was watching out for me, his human.

I nodded. "You can ease up a little, though." He agreed, but kept watching me like I might choke at any second. When I was done, I grabbed my school stuff and went for my keys. He took my hand before I could get to them.

"Do you mind if we take my car today?" I loved that he asked me and didn't just assume. But wasn't his car at his house?

I went along with it, hoping the car would be in the driveway. "No, that's perfectly fine." It wasn't a lie. I liked his shiny Volvo. He continued to hold my hand as we walked outside and to his newly arrived car. He opened my door for me and was at his door in the same second. We rode in companionable silence, just enjoying being in each other's presence.

When we pulled into the parking lot, I remembered his family.

"What about your siblings?" How were they going to get to school?

"They're taking Rosalie's car. It's conspicuous, but it will work for now." I could tell he didn't approve. We parked next to a red convertible that I could only guess was Rosalie's. People were standing around it, ogling it. That was until they saw Edward and I get out of the car together. They all stared. The same went for everyone else; they were all minding their own business until they saw us walking, hand in hand. I saw Angela and waved to her; she looked happy to see me when she waved back.

Edward walked me to every class, eyes trained on us all the time. He brushed his hand across my cheek each time before he left to go to his own class; I walked into class a little less coordinated than before. The Trig test was difficult because, between Edward and . . . well it was only really Edward, I didn't really have time to study this weekend. We sat alone at lunch, as usual, but everything was different. When I looked over to the other Cullen's, Rosalie was looking at me, not scowling like I was expecting, but almost smiling. Hm. People took covert glances at us at intervals of five seconds. It was rude. Didn't they have lunch to eat or something?

In Biology, the electric current I'd become accustomed to passed through us. It was hard to concentrate on anything but Edward. After class, he bid me farewell at the locker rooms, caressing my face again, I walked into the locker room and started to change into my gym clothes when something stopped me.

"Whore," someone muttered from behind me. I turned around to see Jessica's retreating form. What in the _world_?

"Excuse me?" I said disbelievingly. She turned back around.

"You're such a slut, Bella. Mike told me about how you attacked him on Friday. You know, how you kissed him and then hit him. I can't believe you're just prancing around with Edward on your arm—"

"Wait—Jess—shut up—Gah!" I was so confused and shocked. I didn't understand the vitriol in which her words were covered in. "_What_ are you talking about?"

"Don't play innocent, Bella. I feel bad for Edward. He's dating such a loose, crazy, sk—"

Want to know what wasn't loose? My fist as it connected with Jessica's face.

**A/N: BAM! Like a Boss. Haha. This chapter was twice as long as my last one. Whew. It's probably my fave so far. So, what did you think? Tell me SOMETHING! I don't care if you absolutely hate it, just tell me. I'm starting school tomorrow so updates might be coming a lot later. Thanks for reading!**

**~Kj**

**P.S. The song used is called "Like Whoa" by Aly&Aj. Or I guess it's 78Violet now. Idk.**


	10. Chapter 9: Detention Part 1

**Chapter 9: Detention (Part 1)**

Jessica stumbled backwards and almost fell over. She held her hand over where I had punched her and called me a name that I would rather not repeat. I had actually planned on apologizing to her . . . Yeah. Not anymore. Coach Clapp had impeccable timing and decided to walk in seconds before and saw the punch and its aftermath. Suddenly, everything took on a dream-like quality.

"Isabella Swan, go to the principal's office! Now!" Coach yelled that, but it sounded muted. I walked out of the building in a daze. _What had I done?_ This was not like me.

I barely registered Edward and Emmett standing outside with their Spanish class when I exited the Gym. Edward ran to me and Emmett followed after; their absence from the group was not noticed. Edward put his hands on my shoulders gently to stop me.

"Bella, what happened?" He asked, worried, looking down at my gym shirt and jeans, product of being interrupted while changing. I could understand why he was worried; it wasn't really normal attire for me.

I looked off at nothing and answered without really thinking first. "I punched Jessica Stanley in the face."

"Are you okay?" Edward asked, almost frantic now.

"Niiiiice." That was Emmett. He held his hand up; I absently high-fived him. The cold hardness of his hand woke me up from my state. I answered Edward's question.

"I'm fine, but I'm in trouble. I suppose they're expecting me at the office right now." Edward caught my eyes with his.

"I can take care of that for you," he said in a smooth, silky voice. At that moment, I didn't doubt that he could. I melted in his eyes. It was almost like he was willing me to let him do what he wanted. He figuratively pulled me into him and I didn't want to leave; I hummed in assent and nodded infinitesimally.

His lips turned up imperceptibly at the corners. I knew that if he walked away, I would follow him without a thought. His eyes closed for a second and his hold on me dropped when I realized what I'd just agreed to.

"N—What? No!" I exclaimed when I regained my common sense. "I did what I did and I have to face the consequences." I stared pointedly at him, annoyed that he'd tried to trick me.

He didn't seem to be happy about what I'd said. His face contorted, stuck between listening to me and doing what he wanted to do.

"Come on, Ed, let her live a little. Maybe getting in trouble gets her hot and you could . . . No, wait. I forgot. You guys don't 'do' that. Tsk, tsk." Emmett said, completely serious, save the last part.

My mouth fell open and my face almost bled from my blush. Edward looked about to burst with all the anger he was keeping inside of him. I put my hands to my face and errantly tried to rub the redness away.

"Emmett," Edward and I said at the same time, growling and groaning it respectively. I peeked up from my hands. The way Edward was glaring at Emmett, I wouldn't have been surprised if Emmett was reduced to a burning pyre by the end of the day.

I left them then to receive whatever punishment the school felt justified to give me. As I walked to the building that housed the offices, I thought about what Emmett had disgraced us by saying. I'd never thought of Edward and I . . . doing that. We'd kissed, but that was pretty much the extent of our physical relationship. Edward was over 100 years old. Who knew how many beautiful girlfriends he'd had? I was probably nothing compared to them.

I walked into the office feeling insecure. No one else was in there so I sat down in a plastic chair and waited, making sure not to think about what had briefly consulted my mind.

Ms. Cope, the secretary for all intensive purposes, walked out of an office and looked at me as if she'd been expecting me. News sure does travel fast.

"Miss Swan, Mr. Greene would like to see you in his office." I idly wished that everyone would fall to the floor unconscious and wake up with amnesia. I had never been the "bad kid" in school. The only slightly rebellious thing I'd done was eat dirt on a dare when I was younger. Even then, all the teachers just laughed and cleaned me up. When you punch somebody, they don't exactly give you a lollipop for it. Suspension is usually what they did in cases like this. Which was why I was surprised when that didn't happen.

"One week of detention, starting today," was the verdict I received after I'd walked into the Principal's office and told Mr. Greene what had occurred in the locker room. Not everything, but enough to prove that I was provoked.

My eyebrows furrowed and I cocked my head to the side questioningly.

"Miss Swan, you are an academically gifted student with no history of disobeying the rules. Your previous school had only good things to say about you. And for a seventeen-year-old, you're very mature. Suspension is not necessary in this situation because I feel that you might have already learned your lesson. Punishment is mandatory, though, and I think five days of detention is fair." He explained. I nodded, no verbal response needed in this powerhouse's presence.

"You will report to room one-ten after school for the rest of the week from two-thirty to three-thirty. Do you understand?"

I cleared my throat. "Yes, sir." He started to get up from his chair and I followed suit. We walked towards the closed door to his office, but he stopped before opening it.

"But if there are anymore altercations, I won't hesitate to give you a proper punishment." He opened the door. "Goodbye, Miss Swan."

"Bye, Mr. Greene," I mumbled, then walked briskly out the door.

As I walked through the office to the exit, I had that horrible feeling deep in my stomach that you get when you've done something bad or wrong. It wasn't a feeling I was accustomed to and I felt like purging it from my system. That almost happened all by itself when I walked back into the front office and saw Jessica sitting there in the same chair I had inhabited with an ice pack over the right side of her face.

It was fulfilling and scary all at the same time to see her like that. Fulfilling to know that I could actually throw a punch and leave a bruise (on a human, anyway), but scary because I couldn't believe I'd actually done that. And I couldn't just leave things the way they were. I walked towards her and stopped a few feet away, out of arms reach.

"Jessica, I'm sor—" She cut me off.

"Save it, Bella." Her voice cracked on my name. She glared at me. "Just go away."

I sighed and did what I was told. As I walked back to the gym, I noticed that Edward and his class were no longer out there. I felt a chill on the left side of my body and looked over to the forest. It felt like I . . . like I was being watched. I shook it off and continued to walk to the gym.

When I entered the gym, with its scratched wood floors and decrepit equipment, everyone I passed looked at me differently. Certainly they'd all heard about what happened already. But that wasn't what bothered me; it was the look they were giving me, as if what I had done gave me a sprinkling of honor in their eyes. As if what I had done was honorable.

I didn't even need to look at Coach Clapp to know that I was excused from today's festivities: basketball. I sat on the bleachers, dreading what was coming, dreading the detention I had no choice but to attend. I watched the other students trying to put a ball into a basket, realizing I would never be quite like them. Aside from the fact that I was mingling with the supernatural, I was mature for my age like Mr. Greene had said. My mother always said that I was born middle-aged. I guess it worked out, then. Me acting old and Edward, well, being old.

When the bell rang signaling the end of the day, I walked to the locker room and put my normal shirt back on, all while keeping my eyes down to avoid eye contact with anybody. Their acceptance of today's fisty occurrence bothered me. Before leaving the building, I remembered that Edward would be waiting for me. Sure enough, he was leaning against the brick wall and looking more desirable than anyone had a right to.

I'd bet that he was not too happy about what I'd decided (who would be?), but he didn't show it. I walked to his waiting form, briefly admiring it. He held me gently to him and breathed me in, my scent his desire and his nemesis. But he was in control of his instincts; he didn't want to hurt me. That was what he'd been afraid of from the beginning, why he had been hesitant to be around me. He resisted not only because of the way he had chosen to live, but because he truly loved me. Once again, I wondered how I had ever deserved him.

"Are you sure about this?" He whispered into my hair. Yeah, he wasn't happy about what I'd decided to do about turning myself in. Turning myself in being what he didn't like about it. I leaned back in his embrace, so as not to break his hold, to look in his eyes.

"Yes. I only got detention for five days. It's no big deal." I shrugged. The flash of sadness on his face reminded me that my punishment would take away our piano time together, our special time together. I tightened myself back to him.

Wordlessly, he took my hand and we walked to room 110.

"How did you—" He cut me off by tapping his temple. Yes, being a mind reader could be convenient. He put his hand to my cheek, like he'd been doing all day, but this time he brought his face down to mine. It was slow, but our lips finally met. This kiss had that zing of electricity as the first one had. I believed that our two contrasting temperatures had something to do with that. Or maybe, since it was such a good feeling, it was the earth's way of telling us we were meant to be. Either way, it was that much more special, that much more perfect.

Edward pulled away with a determined look on his face. I couldn't help but notice the clock on the wall behind him. 2:28. Oh joy.

"It's almost time." I reminded him. It was stupid because he probably already knew what time it was. It was a reminder, though, that he needed to leave so _I_ wouldn't be persuaded to let _him_ persuade the faculty of something other than the truth, which I had no doubt that he could.

"Right. I will see you soon, Bella." Of course he would. I didn't have my truck with me and he would have to come pick me up. And with that last sentence, he disappeared. Why couldn't he ever leave at a normal pace? I would have thought he'd never been there in the first place, he moved so fast, except for the wonderful scent and amazing memories he left behind him.

I walked into the detention room, almost dizzy by the intoxicationist that was Edward Cullen.

You know how in the television shows when the good kid shows up to detention and there are kids wearing all black, sitting on the desks, throwing paper airplanes and harassing the teacher? Not even close. There was one kid in the back named Lee with his head down and the volunteer sitting at the teacher's desk.

The classroom being used was a history room that wasn't used the last period of the day. I sat down in a desk at the front, hoping that the volunteer would acknowledge my existence so I could get credit for actually showing up. She was a pretty blond who was probably in her early twenties with a few tattoos up and down her unsheathed arms. I couldn't understand why she was wearing short sleeves in February, especially in Forks. So I sat there and stared off until she finally looked up from whatever she was doing.

"Oh hi!" She said when she saw me. "Sorry, I didn't see you come in. Are you Isabella Swan?" She looked down at a paper before she said my name, making sure she got it right.

"Yes." I didn't bother telling her to call me Bella. We weren't going to be friends or anything. She looked back down at her paper.

"Yeesh. Five days. How'd that happen?" I wanted to say, _Is it any of your business? _But I didn't, because That Bella, the one who punched people, was locked up in her cage, nice and tight.

"I hit somebody." I said simply.

"Oh, I heard about that." Her face scrunched up as she looked me over. "That was you?" She asked disbelievingly. Even the volunteer delinquent baby sitter knew about that already? And she didn't even think I was capable of it.

"Yeah" was all I said. She looked disconcerted. Despite how innocent she seemed to be, she was annoying me. Why was I suddenly so short-tempered? Forks was starting to drive me crazy. If it wasn't for Edward, I would have asked to leave already.

"I'm Vanessa, by the way." She smiled. I couldn't say that she wasn't pretty, but she could never compare to any of the Cullen women, especially Rosalie. "Lee back there is in here for sleeping in class," she whispered. I looked back at his sleeping form. Go figure.

"I would've never guessed," I muttered. Vanessa laughed and leaned forward a little bit.

"So," she continued whispering, "Why did you hit somebody?" Ah. She was greedy for information. Might as well tell her.

"She called me some names . . ."

Vanessa's eyes lit up. "Ooh, like what?"

"Names that suggest I did something less than honorable with her boyfriend. Which I didn't," I added when Vanessa's eyes widened.

"Wow. I can't believe that happened here. I mean, back in L.A. . . ." She proceeded to tell me about her previous life in California and all the drama that happened there. I politely listened, but thought about other pressing things, like Mike and Jessica. First of all, where was Jessica? I figured they probably split us up to avoid further . . . mistakes. Second of all, what was Mike's problem? He pulled the moves on me then told Jessica that I had kissed him then hit him. She probably thought I had a hitting problem. And, where was Mike? I realized he hadn't even been at school today.

While listening to Vanessa describe her surprisingly interesting previous life as an actress, I saw the bushes outside through the window shift once, twice, three times. Edward? I mean, he could be out there, watching out for me. Or maybe I had an overactive imagination, something else Forks had given me in the short time I'd been here. When Vanessa was telling me about when she'd moved to Forks a month ago, just like me, the intercom beeped and on came Ms. Cope's voice, telling Vanessa she had a visitor.

Vanessa sighed. "I wonder who that could be." She looked extremely confused. She got up from her desk and turned to me. "Hey, will you watch him for me?"—gesturing to Lee—"I think he's a jumper." She winked then walked out the door.

I heard the window open before I could see it. I looked over to it and saw nothing. Just as confused as Vanessa had been, I looked around to my right and saw Edward, sitting there on top of a desk.

What a show-off.

**A/N: Yes, that was part 1. I have no idea when part 2 is going to be up. I hope this didn't bore you too much. School has been preventing me from having free time. Darn. Tell me what you thought.**

**Peace out.**

**-Kj**


	11. Chapter 9: Detention Part 2

**Chapter 9: Detention (Part 2)**

"You know, I usually don't do things like this, but your rebellion is rubbing off on me."

"Edward." I barely had time to stand up before he was standing in front of me. "What are you doing here? Not that I object." Because I certainly did not.

"I didn't like leaving you here. I had to be with you," he admitted. I reached my arms around his neck and hugged him as hard as I could. He hugged me back with as much force, both of us knowing that if he hugged any tighter, he would crush me. But all I could think about was how good it felt to be in his arms.

We held each other for days, weeks, months, (who knew?) the whole time Edward resisting what he needed to survive. The amount of love we had was strange for how long we'd known each other, barely a month, but it only made it that more real.

Time came back to me. I realized that Vanessa hadn't come back in almost ten minutes. And that Edward shouldn't be here when she came back.

"You have to go." I whispered. I didn't loosen my hold on him at all, though.

"Actually, I don't." I looked up to his face and raised an eyebrow. "Let's just say a certain blond brother of mine is a very good actor." Jasper? "Vanessa likes southern accents." (I later found out that Jasper had pulled on a thick accent from his human years and offered to buy Vanessa's car. Which he ended up doing.) I would have to thank him later.

"What did Alice think about that?" I doubted she would like her mate practically, technically flirting with another woman.

"She had a lot of fun dressing him up in cowboy paraphernalia. She didn't mind at all. 60 years together and you really gather trust." No matter how weird the situation was, I couldn't help but become more intrigued with the Cullen family.

"You're acting different today," I observed. I noticed he was more free and acting kind of human.

"It's like I said, you're rubbing off on me." His expression turned serious, all joking gone. "The human in me is slowly coming out every day that I'm with you. Love, jealousy, freedom . . ." Edward looked right into my eyes. "After being like this for over ninety years, you can't imagine how that feels." I smiled. I was just so happy. I never knew love could feel this good.

And we continued on like that for the rest of the week. Vanessa didn't come back, and the new volunteer didn't even care and was never in the room. I could have just left, but it didn't feel right. Plus, the guy supposed to be watching me (since no one else seemed to be getting detention this week) did check in from time to time. Edward heard his approach and was gone in a flash.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Edward taught me to tune my hearing and recognize pitch. He would hum a note, and I really did try, but his voice mesmerized me. Just the sound of him humming made me crazy, in a way. But I got through it and learned a lot. The vibrations of his humming traveled straight through me, the lethargy making me feel at peace.

I was running late on Thursday morning so I didn't recognize the date until second period. February 14. Weird, I felt like I'd been in Forks a lot longer than a month; I felt like I'd known Edward for a year already. Then it clicked: Edward . . . February 14 . . . Valentine's Day. Hmm. I'd never really celebrated Valentine's Day (except for when they made you give everyone in class a card in elementary school), much less with a boyfriend. I wondered if Edward had celebrated it before. I also wondered who, what, where, when, why, how, etc.

Was I jealous? My insecurities from Monday came back to me as I sat in Government. I had to get my issues straightened out with Edward in detention since lunch and Biology were too crowded. I also couldn't wait until I got to my bedroom at night. Edward came to my room every night to say goodnight, but always ended up staying to watch me sleep. But no matter how many nights he was there by me, there was only one guy in my dreams. Jim, my vampire creeper who came into my room probably more than once, was always in the corners of my dreams, laughing silently.

I never told Edward about Jim because, as far as I knew, he didn't come back and whatever psychological problem I had that incarnated itself into my dreams was my problem, not his.

All throughout the school day, there were secret kisses and hand-holding between the couples at Forks High. There were 20 couples at school (I overheard Lauren Mallory talking about it, that's how I knew) and Edward and I were number 20 on the list but number 1 on the 'attention' list. All the people that cared about that stupid list watched us as we walked down the hallways, had lunch, and learned about life in Biology. We weren't really into PDA, apart from holding hands and soft touches, so their watching and waiting was pointless. What, did they expect me to maul Edward in the middle of class? They would be better off doing their schoolwork.

Edward already knew about the list of course, laughing and saying, "Humans can be so trivial." We were walking to the cafeteria when we saw Lauren and her group watching us, yet again. I wanted to give them a dirty look, but decided they weren't worth the movement of my facial muscles. I could feel Edward growing tense beside me as we approached the cafeteria. He stopped us before the doors and guided me backwards to the wall until my back was up against it. He had humor in his eyes and I could tell he was up to something. I was confused, but then I saw that we were in direct view of Lauren and Crew. But I still didn't understand what Edward was trying to do.

His hands were on either side of me on the wall and his face was in my hair. He kissed along my jaw and up to my mouth. Edward kissed my lightly then pulled back. A look of annoyance crossed his features for a second and his eyes flickered to Lauren.

"What are you doing?" I whispered, slightly out of breath.

"Giving them what they want," he whispered back. He gently led my hands from where they were resting at my sides up to his neck. I'm sure that to an outsider this would look very heated because it was sure about to feel that way. Edward's face showed complete control and determination, with an ounce of humor still there. "Now kiss me," he ordered softly.

Not one to disobey, I pressed my lips to his. And man, did it feel wonderful. The ever-present electrical current crackled as I pushed myself closer and he put his hand in my hair. Our lips moved in synchronization and I may have moaned softly. We were losing control, something neither of us had allowed before. I wanted so bad to open my mouth and deepen the kiss, but I knew it wouldn't, couldn't happen, even if it was Valentine's Day. I didn't care that I couldn't breathe as his cool lips assuaged all my thoughts away, but he amazingly seemed to remember that we were still at school. He pulled away and turned his head to the side, oddly out of breath himself. We breathed quickly while I regained my mind. I knew we had gone too far.

But as we assessed Lauren and Crew's performance rating, we realized it was just the right amount. We got a 10 out of 10. Isn't that just great.

As they entered the lunchroom to gossip, I stared at Edward. We were at a whole new level now. I knew that, he knew that. We looked into each other's eyes. My stomach coiled, my breathing became erratic. My eyes traveled down his body, stopping at some points. What am I _doing_? I can't be thinking about Edward that way! Especially not at school. I suddenly wanted something more from him, something I'd never experienced before, something so much more physical and emotional.

My hands moved off of him and behind my back. They ached to touch him. I could feel a pull to get closer to him coming from the middle of my body. _Stop stop stop._ I can't be doing this.

So I ran.

I muttered something about going to the bathroom and went exactly there. I knew he wouldn't follow me. I walked into the first stall and sat on the closed lid.

_What am I doing? Running from him? Ugh. I'm 17, this hormonal side is normal. There's nothing wrong with wanting Edward that way. Every other teenager wants that. So why do I feel so out of place?_

I'm not pretty, I'm hardly beautiful. I'm just average. Despite what Edward says the boys at school think of me, I don't think it myself. Because Edward is the key. What he thinks of me is the most important thing. How do I know he's not playing with me, messing with me heart for his own sadistic entertainment? After all, isn't that what vampires do? Mess with humans and destroy them?

It just doesn't fit. Vampires don't go around falling in love with boring, inconsequential humans. They play them then rip them apart and drink their blood. How can these golden-eyed creatures exist?

Oh, my God. _What am I thinking?_

I ran my fingers through my hair and felt my stomach growl. I had to go out there into the lunch room with Edward and the rumors surrounding us because I was hungry. Inconvenienced by my own self, I stood up and left the stall. I avoided looking at myself in the mirror when I left. I looked down the hallway to see if Edward was waiting for me, but I caught the retreating form of the elusive Mike Newton. I hadn't seen him until now, since he decided to 'attack' me then lie about it to Jessica. My body wanted to confront him and ask him what the heck he was thinking, but my mind was too tired. Just when I thought my day couldn't get any weirder, Mike turned his head around without stopping and winked at me. He was winking and smirking at me like something was funny but I hadn't gotten the joke yet.

More questions than I could deal with popped into my already too filled head. This would be about the time when teenagers get into drugs and alcohol to try to ease their problems. Thank God I had more common sense. I filed the whole Mike situation away for later contemplation when my brain wasn't so compressed and confused. I walked back towards the cafeteria and found Edward standing at the same spot that I left him. I gulped and kept my eyes to the ground, knowing that the want I had suppressed in the bathroom would come rushing back if I looked at him.

"Are you alright?" He asked when I approached him. He looked like he had been dealing with his own issues before I had interrupted his thoughts. He looked worried but also . . . I couldn't name the second expression.

"Yeah," I lied, and lifted a fake smile on my lips. I was tired of putting on façades. How much more drama could happen today?

I shouldn't have asked that.

When Edward and I finally walked into the cafeteria, all eyes were on us, even those who hadn't cared before. I was quickly losing my patience with the human race. It wasn't hard to imagine that if we were the talk of the school now, we were soon to be the talk of the town. The new girl who hit people and the loner of the loner family.

As usual, Edward went into the lunch line with me and bought food that he wouldn't eat. We went to the separate table that had become our refuge after the hours apart. Now I was dreading the awkwardness of our new intensity. Barely after we sat down, Angela and her boyfriend Ben appeared in front of us.

"Hi, Bella. Do you mind if we sit with you? A couple of freshmen took our seats," said Angela. She didn't sneer 'freshmen' like other upperclassmen would. That was a good thing about Angela; she was whole-heartedly nice. It also meant she wasn't involved in the vicious rumor mill that was circulating through school. She and Ben would also relieve the awkwardness that was sure to fall between Edward and me.

"Sure," I smiled. I would have looked over to Edward to make sure it was okay with him, but looking at him would erupt something forbidden inside of me.

All four of us had a polite conversation while I scarfed down my meal and Edward pretended to eat. When I accidentally looked up at him and he caught my eye, there was no uncomfortability. I paid that tribute to my welcomed interlopers.

In Biology, I was afraid that the electricity between us that was now an electrical fire would finally make the awkwardness appear. It never did. While completing a worksheet on meiosis, I could feel him solidly beside me, but it only felt normal, right, and even better than before.

The rest of the day passed with me ignoring all of the stares. Detention came with a fleeting glance from the volunteer before he rushed outside to smoke a cigarette. I never learned his name or anything about him, but I could tell he had been cajoled into doing this. I felt bad for the person who got the whiplash of his nicotine-induced anger.

I plopped into a seat, waiting for Edward to arrive when a single red rose appeared on the desk. I picked it up and held it to my nose, smelling the rich scent. _Edward is romantic, too? I bet human boyfriends around the world are throwing in the towel._

"Thank you," I whispered into the air. Whoever heard it, Edward, the gods, would know that I appreciated everything.

"You're welcome." A sweet voice ghosted out from nowhere. I turned around. Edward was sitting in a desk in the corner of the room, looking heavenly. I hated myself for ever thinking he was playing with me. I'd never been a spiritual person, but I found myself wanting to go to church and sit in the pews, silently thanking the lord for my good fortune.

"I'm sorry for what I did today." He continued whispering. "In the hallway," he clarified, "I was angry and I took the situation too far."

"You don't have to apologize. I understand," I whispered back. "I might have done the same thing." Okay, probably not, but I didn't want him to feel bad.

He got up and walked towards me at a human pace. He sat down in the chair next to me languidly. "Bella, do you feel the new energy between us?" I nodded as he took my hand to heighten the feel. "It occurred right after that scene in the hallway. It tells me to touch you, to hold you closer . . . but I can't. If we were to . . ." He trailed off.

_He feels the same things I do, the same yearning._

"If we were to go that far, I could kill you." I gasped. "You're just so fragile, Bella. We couldn't risk it." I swallowed hard. I understood, though. He was strong and inhuman while I was weak and human. We had to be careful. I nodded again.

"Yeah."

Friday came and went. Saturday arrived with a new outlook, but was soon crushed when Edward told me that he and his family were going on a 'camping' trip on Sunday and Monday. Camping = eating. His eyes were getting dangerously dark, though, so he had to go. _We have to be careful_. My thoughts from Thursday came back to me.

We were on equal footing and our fellow students got over our new relationship. Unfortunately, almost everyone in town knew and even more unfortunately, so did Charlie.

After dinner on Friday night, Charlie said he wanted 'to talk' to me about something. He had concerned parent face and everything. I was too afraid to even know what his concerned parent brain would want to say now that I was sure he knew about me and Edward, so I said something like, "I have a term paper due and I haven't even started it yet!" and ran up the stairs. Admittedly, I shouldn't have lied, but I was still irrationally afraid that they would meet and it would end badly.

Turns out, that fear was rational.

Edward came over to pick me up for a piano lesson on Saturday before he had to leave. My father was home at the time and was the one to open the door when Edward knocked. Luckily, because I ran down the stairs, I got to the door right after Edward's face could be seen.

"Hi, Edward." Breathlessly, I let him inside while Charlie fought to conceal his scowl. Before this could get any more uncomfortable, I formally introduced them.

"Edward, this is my dad. Dad, this is Edward Cullen—"both of their eyes were telling me I'd better say it—"my boyfriend."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Chief Swan." Ah, my boyfriend, the polite vampire.

Charlie snorted throatily. "Yeah, right. Don't act so polite when I know that you're sexing up my daughter." My eyes widened.

_What. The. Hell._

"Chief Swan, Bella and I aren't planning on going in that direction right now." They're gonna have to start charging me money for how many times I've thanked God recently.

"_Planning_," Charlie scoffed. "Do you know how many teenagers have ended up—"

"Bye, Dad!" I grabbed Edward's hand and ran as fast as I possibly could out the door and into his Volvo. We sat in the car for five seconds before Edward started laughing like a madman. I had to admit, the whole situation was comical.

"Let's get out of here before he comes out and starts preaching to us about STD's," I said, laughing.

We went to his house where I thanked Jasper for his recent help, hung out with Alice, tried to avoid Rosalie and Emmett and failed, and talked to Esme and Carlisle. I also started learning a new song that Edward was teaching me. The horrible start to the day lead to a great ending.

The Cullen's left that night to go find some tasty animals to brighten their eyes. I didn't realize how lonely I could feel without Edward. I spent the sunny Sunday and the partially cloudy Monday moping while avoiding Charlie and his 'wise' words.

Monday afternoon after school, it finally rained. I went outside to bask in it, knowing that Edward would be back in a matter of hours. I walked on the forest's edge, loving the feel and smell of rain. I'd never welcomed it so much in my life. I was just about to head back inside when the man of my dreams showed up.

Jim.

A/N: Wow. Anyways, go check out the Avant Garde Fanfiction Awards at twilightfb-awards(dot)blogspot(dot)com. Just remove the parentheses and make the dots periods. You'll see my name on the side, saying that I support it, cause I do. You can nominate undiscovered fanfics, just read the guidelines. *wink wink* Did you know that Edward also survives on reviews and that if you leave one, he'll come back faster? Trufax ;) Thanks for reading.

-Kj


	12. Chapter 10: James

**Chapter 10: James**

He sauntered out from the trees, fresh raindrops spattering his pale, perfect face. His short brown hair split down the middle was plastered to the sides of his head by the water. The rain was light; his hair could only have gotten that way by him standing in one place for a long time. His face held average good looks and his body was well cared for. His stance suggested confidence and anticipation.

I was scared out of my mind. Why couldn't this be a dream? Why was I so frightened?

Because he could kill me.

And he probably would.

I was never one for dramatics, but I could feel it coming; my death. Or at least an attempt to make it happen. He didn't look like a murderer, but was a vampire; he _was_ a murderer. The only thing that threw me off about his vampire demeanor was his violet eyes. Edward told me that vampire's eyes could only be gold, black, or red. . . Unless one did something to them.

_Contacts!_ Assuming Jim's eyes were red and he were trying to hide them, he could use blue contacts. Red and blue make purple.

And, suddenly, it clicked. He'd been following me, watching me for I didn't know how long. And to void public suspicion, he'd been hiding in the shadows and disguising his nature with a flimsy piece of plastic. But the most pressing question was why? Why was he doing it?

He spoke. "Excuse me, do you know where the Swan's live?" _As if he doesn't already know._ "I've been looking for their house, but I got lost," he continued. I could tell he was acting because of how blatantly obvious it was. My intuition had been pretty good to me lately so I knew he didn't think I even had a clue who he was.

_Play along, Bella! He doesn't know you're onto him! Confuse him._ I listened to my conscience since my only other choice was dying.

"Yeah, I know where they live," I allowed. I cleared through the apprehension in my throat. "Who's asking?"

He did not look pleased to have things turned on him. Pissed, really. "Name's James." _Ha! I knew I was close!_ Annoying Bella cheered at having been close to guessing his name. She needed to be locked up.

_Stall._ "No last name?" Good. That should hold him off a bit.

His eyes narrowed. "I don't like to give put too much information."

"Neither do I." I was really good at this. He folded his arms across his chest, obviously trying to calm himself and exhaled sharply. He was annoyed because I was acting like I wasn't who he knew I was; he only liked playing his own games. He closed his eyes and cocked his chin to the side. After a moment of me trying to stay in my spot and not run away, he turned his face back to me with a small smirk on his face.

"Well, 'Neither do I', I was just trying to pass along information to them. Something about a . . ." He paused questioningly, clearly better at his acting. "Renee? Yes, Renee." _What? My mother?_

I almost screwed everything up right there and begged him to tell me. Almost. I'm smarter than that. My expression faltered, but I put it back together quickly. I'd just have to continue to act stupid to get information out of James.

"Oh, really?" I acted politely interested. "What about her?" _Tell me._

His arms dropped to his sides and his fists tightened. "What is it to you?" He was trying to get me to drop my act. The only thing I could think to do was stall more.

I swallowed. "What is it to _you_, James?" My bravado was wearing off due to how scared I truly was. I was proud of my acting skills, but it didn't matter because this wasn't going to end well; I could just tell. James started walking slowly towards me.

"Do you even know who she is?" Oh no. _He's turning the tables back on me. He's going to win._

I gulped. "I've heard her mentioned," I lied. "Do _you_ know who she is?"

"I think I know her better than you do." How was he doing this? Completely destroying everything?

"How so?" I whispered. James was right in front of my face, a twisted sparkle in his eye. Just like a beloved friend would when about to tell a secret, he gently took my left hand in his and moved his head to the side of mine.

"I killed her."

A dull snap echoed throughout the small confine of the trees. A gasp, a scream, a haunting laugh. A thud as I fell to the ground, clutching my hand to my chest. Freezing tears became one with the now-pouring rain on my cheeks. My broken hand pulsed with fresh pain.

"Now, if you don't want to be disappointed, maybe you shouldn't stick your _hand_ in other people's business." James smirked. I looked up at his back as he walked away. He stopped halfway to the trees and turned to me. ". . . Isabella." He chuckled as he turned back around and vanished into the trees, leaving me broken on the wet grass.

I sat on my solitary patch of grass and cried for everything that had happened. The mysterious Mike situation, my issues with Jessica, disappointing Charlie (as I sure was), disappointing myself, bringing Edward into all of this, James, my mother, and my hand. My cry didn't last long because the pain of my physical problem pulled me to my feet dragged me to my house. I needed to call someone to help me. My father was the only one I could think of at the moment.

Despite the pain, I found it embarrassing to have to call my dad. _It's like I'm five and I fell and cut my knee. 'Daddy, can you come kiss it?'_ As if kissing made it all better. Sure with Edward it could make the whole world disappear, but only for a moment. The pain would still be there when I came back to this plane.

So I called my 'Daddy' and hoped for the best.

_I wandered the corridors of this sterile, white place. The pain emanated not just from my hand, but from inside of me, all around me. Just _everywhere_. The patients of each room I passed and peered into thrust it onto me like I was their pack mule and they needed to release their load._

_ The hospital hallways flashed form white and clean to dirty and desolate with reckless abandon. With the scenery, the people changed also. In the white hallway, things were like they should be; patients in bed and nurses and doctors checking in with their pens and clipboards. In the dark hallway, the patients became the nurses and doctors and vice-versa. The employees of Forks General lay in musty, stained beds in their crisp lab coats while the patients, with their haggard expressions, produced rusty syringes. They fought the thrashing nurses, tried to pull them under to their world._

_ But it was something else that caught my attention, something else that struck through me: they all had _his _eyes. Frightening violet eyes. Eyes that yearned for my death. Eyes that would chase me until they got it. Eyes that would follow me to Hell._

_ Eyes that would succeed._

I was covered in sweat when I woke to a harsh light probing my eyes. Well, it was harsh to me. The light was directly overhead, making my sensitive eyes ache when I looked directly into it. I moved my right hand to cover my eyes and to wipe the perspiration from my forehead but was stopped. My wrist was wrapped in tape with a tube coming out of it. An IV.

I looked around the hospital room, surprised my dream told me exactly where I was, and found three sleeping forms. My eyes adjusted enough to see my father, Billy Black, and Jacob Black. What were the Black's doing here?

Oh, right, they were coming over for dinner. I didn't remember much due to the trauma. They must have seen us heading towards the hospital and stayed over to see if I was okay. What nice people.

The clock on the wall said it was five-thirty in the morning. No one would be awake anytime soon, so I decided to go back to sleep and come to at a more conversational time. I shifted in the stiff hospital bed but found it hard to move the left side of my body. A thick plaster cast enveloped my arm from my hand to halfway up my forearm.

_James really did some damage, didn't he?_ I didn't want to think about what he told me before he broke my hand, so I decided to simply deal with it later.

The door to the room opened. Edward walked in sullenly. My body reacted to seeing him again; my heart beat faster and I smiled with my whole face.

"Why so sullen, Mr. Cullen?" I teased.

"Bella," he exulted. His face lit up, but fell again. "What happened?"

"I fell." I admitted sheepishly. Although 'admitted' wasn't the right word. Lying was becoming so easy.

Surprisingly, he seemed to believe me. "How does it feel?"

"Like I don't have an arm." I huffed out a laugh. "I missed you," I whispered.

"I missed you, too," he said. "I knew I shouldn't have left. When we got back, I went to your house. You weren't there, of course, so I figured you had gone somewhere with your father. Then Carlisle called me and told me you were in the hospital. I imagined the worst. That you had broken something, that you were . . ." he paused, almost in anguish, "dead."

The weight of the world came crashing back down on my shoulders. I had forgotten that other people, people I loved, would be affected by everything I did. Edwards was sad and so was Charlie, from what I vaguely remembered, when he drove me to the hospital.

I decided that I had to tell somebody about James. I just didn't know who.

"I'm sorry," I looked down at the white sheets covering me, "that you had to go through that."

"It's alright, Bella. It was an accident. You shouldn't blame yourself for my overactive imagination." I still didn't look at him. His pale hand appeared on my properly affixed hand. The stark coldness cooled me down instantly after my sweaty nightmare.

I was tired, but I knew that the only way I'd be able to sleep was if Edward was with me. Surprisingly, in his encompassing coolness, there was a warmth that radiated from him when he held me. I hoped it would keep James out of my thoughts for at least a few hours.

I didn't know quite how to ask him. "Um . . . Edward . . ." I stopped and tried again. "Could you—I know this sounds weird, but could you . . . sleep with me?"

He didn't seem to find it weird; he just nodded and quietly moved next to me onto the bed. I scooted over a little bit and faced him. His arms wound around me as I laid my head on his chest. I nuzzled in closer and found myself sleeping peacefully moments later.

**AN: Yeah, it's short. I hope you liked it though. And go check out the Avante Garde Fan fiction awards to vote for your favorite Twilight fan fictions. Did any of you get the Eclipse DVD? I especially like the part where you can choose to only watch the scenes with Edward in them :) **

**Au revoir.**

**-Kj**


	13. Chapter 11: Please Don't Leave Me

**Chapter 11: Please Don't Leave Me**

It's been two weeks since I broke my hand. Nothing has changed much except that Jacob has become an almost permanent fixture in my living room. We didn't mind; Jacob was a cool kid. At only fifteen, he could take apart a car engine and put it back together. It was impressive, really. I visited him at the reservation one day and I was mesmerized by how he had such an immense knowledge and skill level.

I haven't played the piano in what feels like forever. Another thing James took from me.

I called my Mom's phone in Florida, but the line had been disconnected. I called her cell but it went straight to voicemail. I was getting desperate to get at least an inkling of information, so I found my step-father Phil's phone number. I almost cried with relief when he answered. When he told me my mother was alive and well, I actually did cry.

James played me. I believed him. That's the saddest part.

Jacob had been assigned to "Watch Bella" duty because I couldn't be trusted while on pain medication. Whatever. _One time_ you start talking to a bottle of bleach and everyone thinks you've gone crazy.

My hand was getting better, though. I could successfully move my pinky and middle finger. Carlisle, being a doctor, said that was great considering the damage done to my hand. No one seemed to question my explanation for how I'd broken it. Although, the Cullen's did look suspiciously at my cast whenever I was around them.

Edward gazed sadly at it from time to time.

I'd been told that vampires could smell other vampires distinctly, so I was surprised no one mentioned the scent of another vampire that I knew was there.

James didn't approach me again. I always saw him, though, whether he was really there or not. He starred in my nightmares and was there every time to scare away the good whenever I had a half-way pleasant dream. He sometimes could be seen at the supermarket or at the movie theater, watching me. Who knew if he was really even there.

My fear manifested. That's how much I was scared by James and what he could do.

I first experienced Alice's and Jasper's gifts two days after I got out of the hospital. Alice saw two more dead bodies by the lake and Jasper used his, admittedly, super cool emotion-control gift to calm me down when I started breathing faster because of the news.

They didn't know how all of these people were dying and I wasn't going to tell them. I just knew it was James.

Honestly, I was afraid James would kill them all if I told them about him. That was why I never told Edward. After all, aren't human-blood-drinkers stronger than animal-blood-drinkers? And what are a couple dozen humans to the Cullen's?

Oh, God, that sounds horrible. I can't believe I thought that.

* * *

I sat up in my bed and looked around the room, brightened by the light coming in from the closed blinds. The window that I'd figured James had opened for the first time however many weeks ago made faces at me through the blinds. I tripped on my way out of bed. Damn medication.

The medicine I had to take to keep the pain away and heal my hand had serious side effects like slight hallucinations, clumsiness and severe drowsiness, two of which I was already experiencing beforehand.

I stumbled down the stairs and completely tripped on the last step. I didn't even try to stop myself as I fell. Instead of the cold linoleum I was expecting, I fell into a warm, muscular boy.

"Falling again, Bella?" the boy said. The soothing, husky voice of Jacob Black woke me up a bit. I stepped out of his arms, blushing, and gave him what I hoped was a disgruntled look. At least he caught me this time.

I walked into the kitchen for lunch and saw two sandwiches sitting on the table. My stomach rumbled loud enough for a deaf man to hear.

"I made us some sandwiches," Jake said. "You know, you're always hungry after those naps of yours." He shook his head at that statement as he sat down at the table.

I followed suit because frankly my stomach wouldn't shut up. "Thanks," I mumbled distractedly before ungracefully stuffing the sandwich in my mouth.

"Geez, Bells, pig much?" he said, gesturing to my already half-eaten sandwich. His smirk grew when I grabbed a napkin and dabbed delicately around my mouth.

"Well I guess it's because I'm so surprised that Jacob Black would make a sandwich for anyone but himself and his father," I replied.

"You're so much more fun when you're doped up." He smiled prominently as he took a small bite out of his sandwich.

"Oh so _that's_ the only reason you visit after I take my meds. I thought you actually cared about my well-being. I'm hurt." I placed my hand on my chest dramatically.

He rolled his eyes, but laughed. "Just eat your sandwich, Bella. It's the only one you're getting from me."

After lunch, we sat on the couch and watched TV. The effects of the medication obviously hadn't worn off because I fell asleep again during an episode of _Dirty Jobs_, my head resting against Jake's shoulder.

I dreamt of the Jacob-dog again. Except for he was wolfier this time. I don't know why I saw him like that. I watched from above as he sniffed the ground, searching for food. I recognized the area as the woods surrounding my house. He chased a bunny into my backyard but lost it many times. He stopped abruptly. Suddenly, his nose was to the ground, sniffing vigorously, following a trail.

A trail that led to James. James crouched down to Jacob as if he were going to pet him. The fear was evident in his black wolf eyes. James crushed his skull. He didn't even put up a fight.

I woke up screaming.

"Bella. Bella!" Jake yelled. He grasped my shoulders in an attempt to calm me down. The frightened look on his face alerted me to the probably half-crazed look on my face. _I promised myself that I would tell someone about James. Here's my chance._

"Jake," I whispered out between gasps of breath. "I need to tell you something."

I looked out the window to check if James was there. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. Even if he were hiding in the trees, I would be able to feel the presence of his probing, hunter-like eyes watching me. But I felt safe enough.

Regardless, I whispered my confession. I told Jake that a man had been following me, watching me. The same man had broken my hand. To get Jacob to fully understand, I would have to tell him something he probably wouldn't believe. Sitting next to his warmth, I stuttered out was James was.

Jacob stood up and put his hands on his face. I feared he thought I was still just reacting to the medicine.

"I can't believe this." His hands slid down to reveal his searching eyes. "The stories are real. The cold ones exist."

I had no idea what he was talking about, but I didn't question him. It seemed he was facing his own problems.

He shook his head and dropped back down to the couch. He took my good hand and looked straight into my eyes. "Are you sure?" he almost-pleaded.

I nodded, not sure if I could speak anymore out of my encompassing fear.

"Okay, um—I'm so sorry, Bella, I have to go. It's really important. I promise I'll be back soon. I'm so, _so _sorry." He squeezed my hand then grabbed his jacket and ran out the front door.

Tears fell listlessly from my eyes as I waited for someone to come and wipe them away.

* * *

Days passed. Jacob didn't come back.

Charlie was on "Watch Bella" duty officially and even Edward pitched in one time. He laughed at me too much so I told him to leave. I was heavily medicated at the time, of course.

I spent more time at school than I did at home or even at the Cullen's house. They were nice and all, but vampires seemed to be my vice at the moment.

Is it sad that I couldn't stand to be around my love because I was scared of his nature?

Not really, but it's Edward. I _love_ him. I shouldn't be afraid.

James was controlling my life without even being near me. I absolutely hated him for it.

I thought there was nothing else he could take from me. I was wrong.

* * *

I growled in frustration. Why couldn't I pick up the damn book?

"Ang, could you get that for me?" I smiled apologetically at Angela for the hundredth time in two weeks. My wrist still was unusable and my right hand was full.

"Sure, Bella." Angela smiled at me like she didn't mind as she picked the book off the school desk. She didn't hand it to me, but carried it as we left the classroom to go to the lunch.

"You don't have to do that, you know," I complained. Not that I didn't mind.

"Hey, I'm your friend. It's what I'm for." She shrugged and smiled easily.

"You're a god," I exhaled. She giggled and blushed a little.

Angela and Ben sat with me at lunch now. Edward enjoyed their company and sometimes Alice joined us.

I tried to calm myself as we approached the two vampires with our lunch. I guessed that instinct that told me to be afraid or to run away that had gone missing when I met Edward had found its way back. I was ashamed of myself for being afraid of them. I just couldn't help it.

My stomach didn't overreact when I started eating this time like it usually did since I'd started taking the medication. Maybe things were looking up.

Ben looked morose as he picked at his food. He didn't bother to straighten his crooked glasses.

"Ben, are you okay?" I asked him. He looked up at me then to Angela.

"You haven't told her?" he asked Angela. Angela kept her eyes down as she shook her head. What hadn't she told me?

I put my hand on her shoulder in a friendly gesture. "What is it?" She looked into my eyes then averted her gaze once more. She didn't look happy.

She cleared her throat before she spoke. "Well, my dad got offered a new job. In New Mexico. The guy, James, said it paid a lot and that they required his talents" I stopped breathing and my stomach churned. _Not again. James _can't_ be doing this. _"So . . . we're moving."

I swallowed back the bile that was scorching its way up my tender esophagus. "When?" I croaked out.

"Next week," she replied quietly.

I excused myself and walked quickly to the bathroom. I lost everything I'd eaten in the past 24 hours to the toilet from where I knelt in front of it.

He was doing it again. Taking something important from me. James wouldn't stop. What would it take? My death?

I'd give it to him if he would stop messing with other's lives. I'd give it to him in a heartbeat.

But that meant he would be controlling my life to the fullest extent.

Frustrated tears spilled relentlessly as sob wracked my entire body. _I can't let him do this to me anymore._

_ I just can't._

_

* * *

_

**AN: I know it's a little late, but Merry Christmas! This chapter is my present to you. I hope you liked it. Sorry it's so angsty and depressing. I'm just waiting for January 1****st**** so I can hang up my new Eclipse calendar. **

**Oh and if you're reading this and you don't have an account on here, go ahead and get one. It's super easy and you can review stories and the author can reply to you and you can even post your own story! Do it. You know you want to.**

**Well, happy holidays and I'll see you next year!**

**~Kj**


	14. Chapter 12: No Air

**Chapter 12: No Air**

_In just my few short months being in Forks, I never thought anything like this could happen. I never believed in vampires. I never really gave them a second thought. But then I move to a small town, the town I was born in, and they're there, nonchalantly sitting at a table in the local high school's cafeteria._

_ I befriended them. I fell in love with one of them. I felt like I had come home, not the place I had returned to every day to either one of my parents, but the place I felt right and like I fit in._

_ I can barely stand to be near them anymore. Granted, some of them I never really clicked with, like Rosalie, but isn't that what it's supposed to be like? Like that one relative that you know but never quite get along with? But you understand each other, if even just a little bit._

_ I'd never had this before. It makes me sad to admit feeling that when I have Charlie and Renee. I can't help it. I've become a different person since I moved here._

_ For the first time, I felt pure love. For the first time, I felt unadulterated fear. They came together to form what I'm feeling now: regret and sadness. It's all because of one person. He's ruined everything for me. He made me afraid of the one I love the most because his nature is the same. He showed me what's possible. He brought out the fear in me._

_ To say that I hate him would be an understatement. He took away the most important things in my life for no reason at all, for all that I know. It doesn't matter. No one has the right to do that._

_ Even if there are a few good things left, like my parents._

_ I don't know how I deal._

_But if he does one more thing to ruin my life, I'll_

_ I don't know what I'll do._

_Bella Swan_

_March 18_

People always say that writing things down on paper is almost as good as saying them out loud. And since I had no one to tell it to, I did that. If it's such a good idea, then why did I have as big of a tear fest writing it than I would have had if I had talked to somebody?

People are misinformed. They don't know what it's like to not even be able to approach the one they love because their stalker has made them too afraid. They don't know how much it _sucks_. They don't know how much it changes a person.

* * *

"Jacob, please answer the phone. I need to talk to you. _Please_." Message 12. I knew I should stop calling him. It wasn't my fault he refused to talk to me.

I needed him with me. He was the only one I could talk to about James. I needed his help. He was my only friend.

Angela moved a few days before. I went to help her family move out. I had fun with Angela, but then she climbed in the truck and that was it. She was gone. Ben remained sad after she left. So did I. I hoped whatever "job" James offered her dad was legitimate.

I left the lunch table indefinitely, not being able to go near Edward or face Ben's sadness. I ate lunch (or tried to) in the library and spent my rare breaks in the bathroom, hiding. From everybody, vampires especially.

I almost hyperventilated one time in Biology because Edward's arm brushed against mine. I still l loved him, but I couldn't be anywhere near him. _Does that mean I'd have to . . . break up with him?_

Yes. It's the only way.

When I gained enough courage, I'd do it. If I even could. I didn't want to hurt him, but I was pretty sure I was already hurting him by avoiding him. If it meant anything, I was trying to protect him. If I don't connect myself to him, James won't go after him. It would protect his whole family, really.

Then why did I feel so bad?

Charlie noticed how I'd changed. I didn't eat much anymore and I think he thought I'd developed an eating disorder. One time when he'd asked me if I was alright at the dinner table, I just nodded and scarfed we were having down my throat just to ease his mind.

If only that worked on me.

* * *

I arrived at school promptly in my old, beat up truck. It didn't take long for me to see James standing in the fringe of trees surrounding the school. He wasn't looking at me, though, which struck me as odd. His dull red eyes were looking at something else, rather someone else. I tried to follow his line of sight, but all I saw were a bunch of students. I prayed to God he wouldn't attack someone here.

He seemed to catch someone's attention and nodded, jerking his head to tell that person to go to him. _Please don't let it be a defenseless girl…_

It wasn't. It was Mike Newton, the one who kissed me and caused Edward to defend me then told Jessica that _I_ kissed him then punched him. He looked quickly over his shoulder to see if anyone was watching him then made his way to James. He was good at sneaking; you could only see him if you were paying distinct attention.

_Why? _was the question stampeding my brain. I couldn't understand what I was seeing. Were James and Mike working together? What for?

Mike reached James unnoticed. They began talking and Mike stepped back a little, obviously affronted. I wished I knew what they were talking about. James leaned closer to him and they became obscured behind the trees. I could still see the terrified look on Mike's face.

I saw James slip him something and then disappear. Mike rearranged his face from scared out of his mind to normal teenage boy face. He didn't look surprised, though. This had happened before.

I gathered myself and got out of my truck. I was scared for Mike and whatever James would make him do. I knew that the kiss was James' doing. He's been behind it since the beginning.

My new insight made me stop dead in my tracks. It all made sense. Margot at Reynolds. Her setting fire to it probably had something to do with James. Mike, the first police officers found dead, everything bad that's happened to me since I moved to Forks was James' doing.

The cold March wind blew my hair across my face as Mike walked into the building, crumpling a piece of paper in his hands. I wanted to know if that was what James handed him. I wanted to know what it was.

Before I could do anything about it, the first bell rang. I made it to English before the tardy bell. Mike was at his desk, the crumpled paper out of sight. I'd have to confront him and ask him why he was doing this.

I tried to pay attention in my classes, but it was deemed impossible by my distracted mind. I avoided any Cullen at any cost, as always. I was putting off ending things with Edward because I knew it would hurt. But I had to protect him. It was the only way I could think to do it. If I don't link myself to him, James won't have a reason to harm him or the Cullen's.

I just didn't know if I could do it.

I was about to head to the library for lunch when I stopped to go to my locker. Mike pacing back and forth in front of it caused me to hide behind a wall and watch. He was holding the same piece of paper in his hand from earlier. He looked harried and uncomfortable as he contemplated something. He paused once in front of my locker and held the paper up to it, like he was going to slip it in there. Instead, he sighed loudly, dropped his arms, and walked away.

He didn't want to do what James told him. I hoped it wouldn't cost him his life. I turned the corner from where I was hiding and hit something. My senses told me danger. My heart told me Edward. I knew only one of them was right, but the other one was just there to haunt me.

I gasped in alarm. He caught my shoulders to steady me. The coldness felt foreign to me. My stupid fear and my sadness caused a tear to run down my face. I felt empty. Emptiness would help with what I was going to do.

"Bella." He sounded relieved. After all, we hadn't seen each other for days. He didn't know if I was okay.

"How are you?" _I feel horrible and terrified. I need you but I can't have you._

"Oh, um, fine," I sniffed. "I'm fine." I covertly (or so I thought) wiped my tear away.

He looked concerned. "Are you sure? I haven't seen you lately." _I'm so sorry, Edward._

"Yeah, I know." I nodded weakly. "I—" Here it goes. "I think we should break up." I whispered. _Don't cry here._ I had to show him I meant it.

Pain etched across his face. "Why?" he asked. He wasn't surprised. I guessed Alice told him to expect something like this. Something heartbreaking.

"I don't think our relationship is going anywhere." _Liar. _Shut up, heart.

I couldn't look up into his beautiful golden eyes. "I don't understand," he whispered.

"I know you don't understand this now, but I'll explain it to you one day. I promise." Before turning away, I looked into his eyes once, hoping to convey a message with mine: _I'm trying to protect you, let me go._ By the confused look on his face, I think he got it.

"I'm sorry." I gathered enough courage and leaned up to kiss his cheek and held on to him longer than someone should after breaking up with someone. He stared at me despairingly before I turned and left, leaving the best thing that has ever happened to me behind.

New seats were assigned in Biology, but I didn't stay long enough to sit in mine. I went to the 'nurse' because I wasn't 'feeling good'. In truth, I wasn't feeling good at all, but that was just a broken heart, something I did to myself. I should have listened at that assembly about self harm.

I sat in my truck until the end of school, not even bothering to leave. I didn't even cry, I just sat there.

The gym doors opened. School wasn't over yet, so I wondered in the back of my mind what was going on. Mike stepped out of the door and had my rapt attention. He wasn't too far away from me, so I began to get out of my car to talk to him. He looked at me sadly and shook his head. He mouthed_ Sorry_ to me before walking into the forest once again today.

He was sorry. Sorry that he did James' bidding. I hoped he would live. I crept a few yards behind him and stopped behind a blue Sentra, crouching down low enough that I could still see him but he wouldn't be able to see me.

Mike went deeper into the woods this time and stopped. James was there. I didn't know if he knew I was watching him or not.

I strained to hear what Mike was saying. "Please don't kill me," he blurted out. _Oh, God, poor Mike._

James didn't say anything, just cocked his head to the side with a genteel smile on his face.

The next second Mike was in the air. His back crashed into a thick tree. He slid down a foot before James stopped him, holding him by the shoulders in front of him. Mike _whimpered_.

And I couldn't do anything about it.

"I told you what would happen if you failed," James said. Failed what? To give me the note?

I could see Mike fighting to stay conscious. His eyes blinked open and close slowly and his mouth hung open. But when James said that, his mouth snapped shut and his eyes alighted with fear. Whatever was about to happen was bad.

And it was over. Mike's head swiveled back and forth one time before his arms fell limp at his sides and his knees made a dull impact on the damp moss. James had snapped his neck so fast I couldn't even see it.

James grabbed his body by the collar of his shirt. He opened his mouth, aimed for his neck, ready to strike.

"No!" He may be able to kill him, but he_ cannot_ suck his blood.

James looked over to me. I turned around and pressed my back flat against the metal door. Tears that I thought I'd run out of streamed openly. I used my cast to muffle the sobs coming out of my mouth.

I heard a thud as something large hit unresponsive ground. I got on my knees and looked through the windows on the car doors to see James standing a few feet away from Mike's dead body lying face down in the dirt.

James narrowed is eyes at me. A piece of paper rustled on the ground next to me. A wrinkled piece of paper Mike had been holding all day. I shakily picked it up and opened it with my right hand. I read it once and drew in a sharp breath.

When I looked back up, James was gone.

* * *

**AN: It's getting dark here. Thanks to all who are reading. I appreciate it. I may not be able to update as soon as I have been because I have finals coming up and I work on my school's newspaper. Until then, be safe and happy, unlike Bella. ;)**

**~Kj**


	15. Chapter 13: Dead Man

Chapter 13: Dead Man

Red and blue lights flashed across the pale faces of the Forks High student body. A long line of shock stretched the parking lot as professionals coated in blue rushed to hide the body. The phone I used to call them sat on the ground next to me, looking foreign on the asphalt.

The light coming from the overbearing clouds faded into a harsh twilight. The sky belonged to another planet. A single night star blinked above, mocking our fragility. A single strand of humor left in me found it funny that the star was probably already dead, shining its unwanted light a little too late.

After the crowd dissipated, I was put into the front seat of a police car. My dad's musky scent surrounded me, but provided no comfort. His words drifted in and out of my attention.

"They were going to question you at the department . . . better to do it at home . . ." he said. I remember nodding. There were so many thoughts in my brain that they became a buzz; easily ignorable but still there.

We reached home. Charlie sat at the table, rubbing his hand over his forehead. I stood near the kitchen sink, remaining in one position.

Charlie sighed. "Now, Bells, believe me I don't want to do this right now either, but I have to ask you some questions." I nodded again.

"What happened?" I had rehearsed the lines before the police arrived at school.

"I was outside. I went to my car and saw something in the forest. I found him there and called the police." My voice sounded scarily monotonous.

"Is that all?" I nodded. He sighed and turned in his chair to look at me. "Look, Bella, I know you're in shock, but I need you to answer—"

"There's nothing else." I cut him off. My closed fist clenched and I felt the paper folded inside it.

Charlie saw it. "What's that?" He got up, convinced it had something to do with the murder (although they weren't sure it was a murder yet). It was his case, after all.

"Nothing." I placed my right hand across my body, half-crossing my arms. I knew he wouldn't reach for it.

"Bella, if it's—"

"It's not." Whatever he was about to ask didn't relate to what I held in my hand. I walked past him on my way to the stairs. "Goodnight, Dad." It wasn't nearly time for bed, but after what I'd been through, it sure felt like it.

My clouded brain didn't unclear when I laid down on my bed. I couldn't sleep because of it.

After half an hour of just laying there on a bed I wished could also have someone else in it, I found I could get a semblance of rest while still awake if I let the buzzing become a normality in my brain. When I closed my eyes and got as comfortable as I could in my too-warm bed, the buzz was a string of questions.

I sat up and covered my face with my hands. One incessant question came to the forefront of my mind: What does the note mean? I reached for the note I'd dropped on the floor. I unfolded the soft, warm paper, touched by a now dead man. I understood what it said, but I couldn't comprehend it.

_If you want to end this, leave._

Is that what James wanted me to do? Is that why he's been doing these terrible things to me, to get me to leave? It just doesn't make sense. It doesn't add up.

If I want people to stop dying, then I should leave Forks. Leave my home, my birthplace, my father, my first and last love (because I know I'll never love anyone like I love Edward), leave the one place where I feel right.

I felt sick just thinking about it.

That's when I woke up. Figuratively.

I was _not _going to that anymore. James was not going to rule my life just so he could, undoubtedly, end it. He wouldn't hurt anyone else.

_I'm done with him._

No matter what it took, I was going to take my life back. I knew what I had to do to ensure mine and other's safety.

One thought rang clear through my mind as I shredded the paper in my hands.

_James is a dead man._

_

* * *

_

I skipped out early. Charlie wasn't awake, so I tiptoed outside and coerced my truck not to make too much noise as I started it up. I didn't idle in the driveway.

The slick roads came up fast, but I was focused. I drove faster and faster until I reached my destination. I didn't stumble as I walked up the path to the house. I knocked on the door, fast and quick.

The man of the house opened the door, looking confused.

"I'm sorry but I need to see him."

"Bella—" I rushed past him into the house, ignoring his protests. I selected the door I needed and pushed it open.

The form of the one I had been searching for materialized in the semi-dark room. I pushed away the fabric covering him.

"Get up, Jake." I watched the Native American boy who I hadn't talked to in a long time open his eyes, shocked at my brusqueness.

He sat up once he saw that I meant business. I tried to soften my tone.

"You've been ignoring me," I said, failing to soften my tone. "I don't know why and right now I don't care." He looked about to interrupt me and explain, but I just continued. "Since my situation has gotten worse and you neglected to help, I decided to take things into my own hands. I've realized that I can't do it by myself, so, as your redemption, you're going to help me."

I surprised myself by how brash I was being. My bravado was fueled by my determination to end James. I did feel kind of bad for how I was acting towards Jacob, how I had just entered his house after being rude to Billy at the door.

But I was on a mission. And since I could rely on him, Jacob would be my cohort. I was only being mean because I showed my fears and he just walked away from me.

He didn't respond. His clouded eyes showed blank confusion. "Jacob?"

He blinked. His eyes wandered around the room without direction. His large hand clapped to his face and he chuckled. "I'm not even awake yet and you're already yelling at me." His eyes peaked out from his hand, glistening with humor.

"I wasn't yelling. I was telling you how it is." Leave it to Jacob to find humor in a tense situation. "Look, do you remember what I told you?" Jacob nodded. "Well, _he_ killed someone I know, Mike, yesterday. Right in front of me. He was using Mike to get to me. And when he wouldn't do something for him, James just snapped his neck." My voice faltered. A tear fell out of my eyes, yet again.

"And I keep crying _all the time_ . . . ," I exhaled sharply. "I just can't let this happen anymore."

"Come here." Jacob opened his arms in a gesture of comfort. I sat down on his tiny bed, scared that my new found resolve had disappeared. Jacob held me tight as I waited for my bravery to come back.

"I'll help you," Jacob whispered. "Just don't wake me up at seven in the morning ever again."

* * *

I had Jacob's help, but I didn't know exactly what I was going to do with it yet. If I was going to kill James, I would need other vampires. I couldn't ask the Cullen's. That ship had sailed. Then what could I do? Did I really even have a plan?

Being completely honest with myself, no, I didn't. But I had the drive. Surely a plan would spring from that. And with Jacob by my side, anything was possible.

Except for killing a vampire.

Here we go again.

* * *

The Forks cemetery was colder than ever. Whenever I had gone there before to visit Gran, fog had never surrounded the gravestones like this. Now, it was like the densest of clouds had fallen upon our town. It was _omnipresent_.

I froze in my black skirt. Whoever thought to create the skirt? What a horrible invention. But, I was attending a funeral; I was respecting the dead. As the funeral procession marched in with the casket on their shoulders, I remembered the closed casket visitation.

Mike's family stood in a line, solitary and sad in front of his casket. Each visitor that greeted them spoke reverently about Mike like they all actually knew him. When my father walked in, they asked him if there were any advances in the case. It was a murder, after all. The police had recently confirmed it.

When I walked in, everyone stopped and stared. Due to the failures of modern technology, I was counted as a potential suspect since I had been the only one around when Mike died. It was all moot because they couldn't find any evidence against me or for me. Charlie told the police station it wasn't me (bless him), but they ignored him and kept me on their list of the other murderers, burglars and rapists.

Because in a small town like this, majority rules.

I'd smiled at them, showing them their accusation meant nothing to me. In hindsight, it didn't because I wasn't guilty. In a sense, I was, for bringing James here, but that wasn't something they needed to know about. But it still affected me because the stares were hard to deal with when I faced them everywhere I went. School, the grocery store, the _bathroom_.

It was crazy, really. A 17 year old girl of about 120 pounds and 5'5 breaking the neck of a 5'10, 170 pound guy? I was afraid their imaginations were getting worse than mine.

Many kids from school and their families showed up to the visitation. If it weren't for the taste of death in the room and the black clothing, it could almost be a social gathering. Almost.

Mike's parents were . . . reluctant to talk to me. They didn't know what to think about who murdered Mike; they were lost in grief. _Hey Mr. and Mrs. Newton, would it help if I said I plan on killing the vampire that killed good old Mike here? _Because _that_ would work.

I was surprised at how light-hearted I'd become. I guessed my conviction for getting rid of James lifted everything off my shoulders and everything would be normal again. Except Mike. He couldn't come back from this.

Well, we all have to make sacrifices.

I had been walking aimlessly in the funeral home when I saw Jessica. She looked at me with the most hateful look and walked into the bathroom. It was time to bury the hatchet. I followed her in. an elderly woman was washing her hands at the sink next to where Jessica was leaning against the wall.

"Go away, Bella," she sneered without even looking at me. She knew I would follow her. The elderly woman that was Mike's Grandma or something looked between us worriedly as she dried her hands. I gave her a smile. I waited until she left to talk to Jessica.

"Jess . . ." She sneered at the nickname." . . . ica. I'm sorry for everything I've done to you. I want to put this behind us." I moved to stand next to her, but she dashed to the other side of the sinks before I could.

"Stay away from me," she said in disgust. "I don't want to talk to you." She turned her back to me. I didn't know why, but I had to get her to forgive me.

"Well it seems I got what I deserved," I joked, holding up my braced hand. Jessica turned her head.

"Yeah, you did," she agreed solemnly. She smirked at the irony of me punching her then getting my hand broken. Despite her newfound humor, she still was no closer to forgiving me. She was still holding something against me.

"I didn't kill Mike, you know," I branched out, hoping to clear any possible accusations.

"I know that," she snapped. She turned to face me. "God, Bella, I may be shallow but I'm not stupid."

Good. She didn't blame me. "I didn't kiss him, either." Her face was stone; she didn't say anything. I walked forward in her general direction and stopped before the last stall. She moved backwards towards the wall when I neared her. I kept my back to her.

"Whatever you want to say to me, say it now. Get it all out." I hoped yelling at me would help Jessica. I didn't want her to be angry at me and grieve over Mike, the one liked and fawned over oh-so-very-much.

She still didn't say anything. I nodded, accepting her silence as a dismissal and turned to leave. I reached for the door handle.

"Bitch!" She squeaked out. I turned back around, shocked. "You selfish bitch!" Her voice grew stronger. "I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. . ." she chanted as tears streamed down her face and she crumpled to the ground. I knew it wasn't all directed towards me. She'd hit her breaking point; there was only so long a person could go holding it all in before going insane, and I guessed she'd been holding things in for a while.

I walked back and knelt to her, patting her back. She cried into me, still chanting "I hate you, I hate you." I held her for a bit until she stopped crying. When her face emerged, red and tear streaked, my heart broke.

No one deserved that.

* * *

When I came out of the bathroom ten minutes later, Jessica staying behind to fix her makeup, I felt my hatred for James rise. He had a part in Jessica's breakdown. He'd _killed _Mike.

Impossibly, my resolve strengthened and my plan started to form. James was going to get what he deserved.

The thought I'd had earlier while tearing up his note to me raced determinedly through my consciousness.

_James is a dead man._

**A/N: Yawn. I'm smack dab in the middle of exam week right now. Only one more to take, though. I don't know when the next chapter will be up because I will be starting new classes soon and I'm currently working on two other Twi-Fanfics.**

**Anyways, I hope you liked this one. I do :) Thoughts? Questions? Just click that little button down there and ask me.**


	16. Chapter 14: The Plan

**Chapter 14: The Plan**

"Dude, stop eating all the chips!" Quil Ateara yelled, sitting opposite Jake and me in Jake's small living room. Quil was one of Jake's best friends on the reservation, along with Embry Call, who was invited but did not show up.

"Stop eating all the chips," Jake mimicked in a girly, high-pitched voice. Quil leaped forward, thrusting his hand outward to grab the coveted bag of chips. Jacob danced out of the way and held the bag above his head, taunting. I skitted out of the way, not particularly wanting to be crushed by their horseplay. They were both very large; Jacob was a lot taller, though, and seemed to be enjoying that very much, holding the bag two feet above Quil's head. Quil lunged after him, but Jacob gracefully jumped out of the way, insulting Quil in that way friends do.

_Teenage boys are so immature_, I thought. With one blaring exception.

Edward. I rarely saw him anymore. Sometimes I would pass by him at school, but I could never look him in the eyes. I missed him terribly but I still felt the need to protect him. He wasn't at school a lot anymore, and I wondered why. I thought maybe it was because of me but then I remembered his world doesn't revolve around me.

Although, it was quite odd to see him at Mike's funeral. He stood off to the side, his hands clasped in front of him, his head down in respect. I'd always believed he didn't like Mike since Mike kissed me. I couldn't help but think he was there for me, offering me comfort because I had found Mike's dead body. Or maybe he was just there because a fellow student had died and he needed to keep up appearances. Who knew.

I'm a girl, I over analyze things. So when I saw James creeping in the trees at the funeral, I wondered how demented he really must be and how he could possibly live with himself. _Duh, Bella, he's not alive._ Damn vampire.

Agitated, I went to Jacob's house the next day to tell him of my newly concocted plan to get rid of James. He wasn't there. I had forgotten the rez had different school days than we did. Jake, the little scholar, was at school. I amended him for actually attending because I hadn't been. Too busy thinking.

So I went back to his house today, knowing he'd be there; I did my research. But about five minutes after I'd walked in the door, Quil came bounding in, ready to have fun with his friend. Interloper as I was, Quil was not deterred by my presence. We all hung out for a while before the boys started fighting over the chips. I realized I needed to get Jake alone so I could talk to him. Not 'Quil in the next room' alone, but _alone_ alone.

It seemed luck was on my side. Quil's phone rang shrilly from his jean's pocket as he stretched up for the bag of chips. He absentmindedly took it out and flicked it open, not even checking to see who was calling, too engrossed in beating Jake in the epic battle of the chips.

Quil put the small phone to his ear. "Hello? Hi, mom. No, I'm at Jake's. Why? Do I have to? Ugh. Yeah, yeah." Disdain covered his features. "Love you, too," he mumbled.

"Love you too Mommy!" Jake said in that annoying girl voice. _Seriously, Jake? _I wanted to say. Quil dropped his hands and put his phone back in his pocket.

"I gotta go," he told Jake. "My mom wants me to help her do something." He and Jake gave each other that hands-clasped-slap-on-the-back man hug that always confused me. Why couldn't they hug like normal people? "And dude," he leaned forward and sniffed, "put on some deodorant." Quil jumped out of the way as Jacob's colossal form came down in him. Jake grabbed after Quil's fleeing form playfully, a joke between friends. On his way out the door, Quil turned and said, "It was nice to meet you, Bella," and waved.

"You, too," I replied, waving back. Relief I hadn't felt in the longest time flooded through me; I finally had Jake alone. It wasn't that I didn't like Quil, but Jacob was my sole reason for even being there. Jake turned to me, the laughter still on his face.

"So, Bells, what's the big deal?"

* * *

"Where are we?" Jake asked from the passenger side of my rusted red truck. I pulled into the lot, allowing Jake to see the landscape. "You're not bringing me here to kill me, are you?"

"Maybe," I mumbled, focused on parking amongst the rubble to avoid hurting the car.

"'Cause I at least thought I would die surrounded by fat grandchildren . . . or whatever."

"If I were trying to kill you, you'd be dead already," I said, putting the car in park.

"Right," he scoffed. "So why are we here?"

I opened the door. "Because he won't follow us here." I stepped out of the truck and Jake followed, trailing me to the hood of the car. "He's already done his damage." And we faced the ruins of Reynolds Piano Classes.

"James did this?" Jake asked. I'd almost expected Jacob to call him Creepy Vampire Guy. He _was_ a creepy vampire.

"Caused it," I replied. "One day I was here, the next day it was gone." I never told Jacob about Edward being my piano teacher. I never really told him about Edward, period. But if my plan was even remotely going to work, I would have to tell Jacob about the Cullen's. I would have to 'out' them.

_I'm sorry_. "Jacob, I brought you here to tell you something. But before I do, you have to promise me you won't tell anyone else, okay?"

Jacob nodded, prepared to help me in any way. _Here I go_… But I couldn't. "Um . . . but first, what did you mean that day, about 'cold ones'?"

Jacob seemed confused about the change in topics. "Uh, right. Well, there was this legend on the reservation that the tribe elders would tell. About the Cold Ones, blood drinkers . . . " And that's why he reacted the way he did. His tribe, the Quileutes, were connected to vampires.

I took a deep breath and nodded, telling him I understood. Then I dove right into my purpose for bringing him here. "Do you know the Cullen family?"

Jake thought it over. "Not personally . . ."

"But you know who they are?"

"Yeah. Daddy's a doc with a bunch of kids and a lotta money." For some reason, his euphemism made me laugh.

"You could say that," I chuckled.

"What about—Oh, no." His expression changed quickly as realization dawned on him. He breathed loudly through his nose. "The Cullen family are vampires?"

"Yes." Surprisingly, I didn't feel bad about giving away their secret; it was necessary.

Jake considered. "Hm." And dropped it. "Wait." . . . Then picked it back up again. "Aren't you _with_ one of them?"

"How do you know that?" I asked, shocked. But I knew. "Our dads are like gossiping old women," I muttered. "Yes, I—" swallow "—dated Edward Cullen. We . . . broke up." More like, _I've ruined everything and I'm afraid I'll never get him back_. I didn't tell Jacob that. Too much for the moment.

"I'm sorry, Bells." Jacob looked earnest as he said it. I felt bad for using him.

"It's okay." I still had to hide my face so he wouldn't know it definitely wasn't okay. Then I focused my attention to the vampire at hand. "Anyways, the reason I told you about them is because I need them for my plan to work. And you," I added. Jacob's face lit up, at what I don't know.

"So what's this plan of yours?"

I told Jacob my plan. Since James wanted me to leave, I would do just that. Pretend I was running away with Jacob. But I would really be luring James into a trap. I would take him to where the Cullen's would be (wherever that may be), they would see him threaten me, and they would kill him. It didn't make any sense because I couldn't guarantee the Cullen's would be anywhere to be found and it broke my promise to myself to protect Edward. In this convoluted plan, he would be right in the middle of a battle. It was wrong to use the Cullen's, but I seemed to be using everybody else these days.

"Despite the obvious flaws, I think it can work," I finished, and awaited Jake's response.

"That's stupid," he said bluntly. _Ouch_. He shrugged. "Let's do it." I hugged Jacob hard, glad to have him on my team.

"Come on. Let's celebrate."

* * *

Despite how inappropriate it was to be celebrating in a time like that, a time in which we were planning murder, we did it anyways because it felt fulfilling for everything to be so clear. We knew the plan and I was going to try my damndest to make it happen. My hypocrisy bout protecting the Cullen's didn't even matter at the time.

Jake and I arrived at a bowling alley and played a game. I would love to say that I bowled a perfect 250, but Jake beat me. And he didn't forego reminding me.

"Woohoo!" Jake cheered as we headed for the door.

"Oh, whatever," I muttered. We exited the bowling alley and stopped outside the door.

"You're just bitter because your ass lost." Cocky Jake was definitely annoying. Couldn't hurt to play along, though.

"What exactly did 'my ass' lose?" I countered, equally as cocky. Jake walked into a corner and leaned back, looking like the epitome of a tool. I stepped closer.

"A kiss from the loser." Jake smirked. I rolled my eyes with a smile.

"Is that what you want?"

"Oh, yeah," he returned sarcastically. I grabbed his large, warm hand and stood on my tip-toes. I composed my face, trained my eyes to his lips; his breathing audibly hitched. Then I kissed his nose and ran away, giggling. I raced back to the truck with Jake following close behind, laughing as well. His footfall alerted me of his closeness and I was almost to the car when his hands grabbed my waist and pulled me back.

"You're such a tease," he laughed.

"Sorry. Now can you put me down?" I asked, having too much fun to really be annoyed. But my question reminded me of the time I asked Edward that in the hallway at school after I'd found out he was a vampire; reminded me that the fun times are short-lived nowadays and there was business to attend to.

We got back into the truck and started to drive home when Jacob saw an auto parts store that he _could not_ resist. I let him out and headed back to a piano store we'd passed. The sight of the ivory keys and their black counterparts was comforting. I sat down at a piano and picked a t the keys with my right hand since my left was still in a brace. There were only a few people in the store, so I played mostly treble clef of the songs I knew, the songs Edward taught me. I wondered if he was at home, playing the piano too. Maybe.

People in the store started gathering around me as I played "Rêverie" by Debussy, a song that I loved. It was funny that they were listening to me play since I was only really playing half the song. I finished it and got actual applause. Just a few claps, but it made me blush. They walked away and left me to my own devices. It felt good to play again. I plunked around the keys for a bit. Then I heard it. A melody that sounded so sweet, so . . . Jacob. I had to find it again.

G . . . F . . . E flat D . . . E flat D C. That was it.

"Sounds good."

"Holy crow! Jake, you scared me." Jacob came up behind me from _nowhere_. I jumped a little on the piano bench.

"Ready to go?" he asked, smiling and holding out his arm.

"Yeah." I took his arm and we headed down an alley to get back to the truck. I couldn't help smiling as Jacob walked next to me. I saw promise at the end of the alleyway and sped up my pace, eager to finally get past this roadblock.

Then I saw James, right where promise should be, turned around and ran the other way.

**AN: Holy crap that took forever. If you actually care enough to read this, I have school and it kinda overtakes my life. Ugh. Anyways, the song I used when Bella was making a song about Jacob is "Jacob's Theme" by Howard Shore. It's a nice song. Listen to it. I didn't read over this, so if there are mistakes, sorry. Oh and if you want to make my day, review. It's really not that hard. Trust me, I do it all the time. Umm so thanks for reading and I'll see you soon…hopefully.**

**~Kj**


	17. Chapter 15: Crazy

**Chapter 15: Crazy**

**Edward's Point-of-View:**

I missed her. I missed her soft, shiny hair, I missed her pliant lips, I missed her warm skin; I even missed her silent mind that only spoke to me under the moon's glow.

I wanted her. Why couldn't I have her? I would not like the answer. Now was not the time to be thinking about this, but I couldn't stop those thoughts, and others', from the interregnum they brought to my mind. Throughout the Cullen household, the thoughts of the vampires in it all whispered the same thing: _Bella_.

And there was nothing I could do about it. My hands came down on the piano in front of me fast and hard in frustration. I realized I had been playing her lullaby _again_. The first time I had accidentally started playing it was okay, but by the tenth time it was embarrassing. Emmett made fun of me constantly, calling me a girl, while Jasper stayed away in moments like these where my feelings were unpredictable: anger, sadness, longing, grief. If I were human, I would have exploded with all of the emotions spotting my existence.

I knew these feelings should be irrational. I had only known Bella for three months. I _should_ have been over her. I _should_ not have cared anymore. And at that moment, I hated the word 'should' and wished it the torture of a vampire transformation. I couldn't feel the way it wanted me to feel.

"Carlisle," Jasper moaned in exasperation from the other room.

"Go ahead," Carlisle said. Suddenly, I felt serene, like I didn't have a care in the world. Normally, in a time like this, I would reject Jasper's power, but I let it in; I needed a break. I thought wryly that maybe Jasper's empathy was like a drug for vampires. Surely the release was just as powerful.

I sent my gratitude Jasper's way and heard him straighten from his hunched over position. The result of my overbearing feelings caused Jasper to feel the pain I felt, and so as not to invade unwanted, he asked Carlisle's permission to calm me down. If I did not want it, I would reject it, or 'throw a hissy fit' as Emmett liked to call it.

"It's getting worse," Jasper whispered to Carlisle. I wasn't sure if he was speaking of my tortuous feelings or the situation we were in. "Can't we let him talk to her?" I knew what he was talking about now; me and Bella.

"I . . . don't that's a good idea," Carlisle said, unsure. All of the decisions for the family had been left to Carlisle and Jasper, since I was 'emotionally unstable'. The others all helped them, leaving me to wallow in the results of what had already happened and what was going to happen. I still did not appreciate my brother and father speaking about me as if I could not hear them. I denounced the serenity that had been thrust upon me, alerting Jasper of my annoyance.

_Edward, it's easier if you don't resist_, Jasper thought-spoke to me.

"I know," I muttered out loud. I got up to go to my room and stopped before the sitting room where Carlisle and Jasper sat, planning. "But I think you should focus more on our guest." I looked up to signify where our guest was staying.

"I resent that!" said our guest from the room above us. All of us, even Carlisle, rolled our eyes at that, although he hid it better. Then, fearing I would get pulled into planning, I rushed up the stairs and into my room. Planning what we were going to do about our situation made me too anxious to be cooperative. I wanted it to be done already, but it just wasn't possible.

That's when Alice had the vision that changed everything.

* * *

**Bella's Point-of-View**

"Bella, what's going on?" Jacob yelled from beside me as we ran.

"Shhh!" I grabbed his hand and pulled him faster through the alleyway in Port Angeles. Jacob didn't know that James was there, listening to everything we said.

I stopped running. "Oh, no," I whispered. James was listening to _everything we said_. Had he heard my plan? Did he know what I was trying to do? Just the thought of him listening in on our conversation amongst the ruins of Reynolds Piano Classes set me off running again. Jacob complied as I pulled him again through another alley. We cut across dumpsters and homeless people until we found the crowd, milling through the shops.

I waited until were completely surrounded to stop. I hunched over and breathed heavily from the exertion and the sight of James. I couldn't deal with this right now.

"Bella." Jacob panted quietly, not as tired as I clearly was. "What's _happening_?"

I stood up straight and stared directly ahead. "James," I whisper-panted, "he was there." I looked to Jacob; his eyebrows pushed together. "Didn't you see him?"

He shook his head. "I didn't see anyone."

"But—" I started. _But nothing. He wasn't there_.

"Bella, are you okay?" Jacob asked.

"I think I'm going crazy," I whispered.

"What? No—"

"I want to go home." I interrupted. I didn't want to talk anymore. I just wanted to sleep and never think again. "Can we go home?"

Jacob still looked confused, but nodded. "Yeah, sure."

* * *

I drove home in my truck after dropping Jacob back at his house. He was worried about me; my episode scared us both. He questioned if we were still going to go through with the plan and I couldn't answer him. I honestly didn't know. If I were having delusions, how could I be trusted to make even the smallest decisions?

The engine sputtered a bit as I drove down the street to my house. I tried parking in my driveway, but a blue car was in the space next to Charlie's cruiser. I wondered who it could be. I also wondered if they would be leaving soon because I really wanted to go to bed. I stepped out of the truck just as the first raindrop fell down from the overcast sky. I stalked towards the front door, not eager to go inside, as the rain poured down.

I sighed and continued walking at the same pace to my house. It was getting darker so I almost tripped up the steps but I made it into the house, albeit soaking wet.

I kicked off my shoes and put my jacket on the rack. It was then that I looked up and saw the guest that I realized misery follows me everywhere. Mrs. Newton sat with Charlie in the living room, crying her eyes out. I felt bad for the woman, but did she have to come to _my_ house to grieve?

I hadn't realized how cranky I was until that moment. I really needed to sleep. I tried to sneak up the stairs but no, Charlie saw me.

"Hey, Bells." He looked sullen, trying to comfort Mrs. Newton.

"Hello, Bella," Mrs. Newton sniffled. I stood in the hallway awkwardly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Newton. How are you?" Stupid question. I was just trying to be polite.

"I've been better," she chuckled weakly.

I didn't know what to say to that. "Uh, Dad, I was just going to go to bed . . ." I turned in the direction of the stairs to tell him I was going no matter what he said.

"Okay," said Charlie. "Goodnight. Oh and don't forget, you have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to get your hand checked." I had actually completely forgotten about that. I guessed that's what dad's are for.

"Oh, right." I started walking to the stairs. "Goodnight," I said to both of them and started climbing the stairs when Charlie spoke. I hid out of sight.

"Now, are you sure it was Mike you saw?" he asked.

Mrs. Newton blew her nose. "Yes, it was him. It had to be."

"Karen . . . ," Charlie hesitated. "When we took Mike in, he was dead. I helped bury him." Charlie tried to be nice to the woman who believed her dead son was still alive.

She sobbed quietly. "But . . ." The facts were staring her straight in the face and she couldn't deny them. "Does that make me crazy?"

"_No, it just means you loved him_." Charlie's words traveled upstairs with me. The rain falling from my hair down my face mingled with fresh tears. Mrs. Newton and I weren't so different. I went straight into my room and collapsed on my bed. I sobbed myself to sleep.

* * *

**Edward's Point-of-View**

Planning was done. After Alice's vision, it all fell into place. That discovery was monumental and let us all feel reassured that things would work out. All we needed to do was put our plan into action.

But there was something I needed to do first before 'Phase 1' began tomorrow. My family couldn't know about it, though. They would not approve of my indiscretion. So I would lie to them.

"Carlisle," I said, standing from my sitting position. "I'm going for a hunt." Lying was all too easy.

"Alright," he agreed. "Maybe you should take Emmett with you."

I gave him a look, one that said 'I want to be alone'. I had perfected it over the years. "I'd rather go alone."

Carlisle looked concerned, but nodded and let me go. He didn't seem to notice that my eyes were already a bright gold. I stalked out the back door and into the forest.

It was pitch black. Of course, I could see perfectly fine. I flew across the ground, over the fresh moss and past the deer. My mission wasn't to feed. During my run, I felt remorse for deceiving my father. I didn't _want_ to lie, but it was necessary if I was going to ever see Bella again. She was the reason for all of this.

My thoughts accompanied me until I reached the Swan residence. What would I say to her? What could I possible tell her? I listened into her house and found she was in her bedroom sleeping. It made things easier; I could talk to her in her sleep and she would answer me truthfully without knowing I was there.

Decided, I climbed the sturdy tree outside of Bella's second story window, like I had in the past the other times I had come to visit her. I crouched on the closest branch and looked in to see her sleeping restlessly. She was not at ease in her life and her sleep was affected, I could tell. I wanted to hold her, to comfort her. I wanted her to feel safe. So I lifted up the window from the outside, jumped, and landed inside with a soft, undetectable thud. I walked slowly towards her.

"Edward . . . hello . . . ," she mumbled as she turned in her sleep. Like I said, she would talk to me without knowing I was actually there. I knelt down and hesitantly reached out to touch her wet hair; she smelled of rain and tears. These times were probably harder on her than they were on me.

"Hello, Bella," I whispered, stoking her hair.

"Come . . . here," she mumbled. Now that I had her with me, I wasn't going to deny her anything, even if she wasn't fully conscious about it. I climbed into herbed next to her, but not too close. I was sure the temperature of my skin would wake her. Her body moved to me, like a magnet, until we were nothing but an inch apart. "I love you," she whispered more clearly.

My dead heart almost beat again. She still loved me, even though she broke up with me (although I believed she had good reason to). This was the whole reason I'd come here, to see if I still had a chance with Bella after all this was over. I knew now that I still did.

"I love you, too."

* * *

**Bella's Point-of-View**

Sleeping was hard, at first. Images of Mike and James kept me tossing and turning. But then everything changed. My dreams became brighter, the colors almost blinding me. And suddenly, Edward was there. He was _dazzling_. And he loved me.

"_I love you, too_," he replied. "_I came here to tell you something_."

I nodded for him to go on.

He took my face in his hand. "_I know these times are hard, and they're making us crazy, but please don't give up on me_."

"_Never_," I whispered wholeheartedly. He kissed my forehead and I slept soundly until the light of the coming day shone through.

**AN: Aww. Anyways, it's getting closer to the year mark for this story and I'm shocked at how far I've gotten! Just kidding. I only have fifteen chapters. Fail.**

**I hoped you liked the split POV's. I just felt Edward needed some input. Oh and btw, you're supposed to be confused. That's how it is. Well anyway, review and I'll love you for ten years and hug you for two hours every day of those years. Sound cool? 'Kay great.**

**~Kj**

**EDIT: So yeah, after reading The Official Twilight Saga Guide, I've realized I've gotten a lot of things wrong, including Mike's mom's name. I don't know how/if this is going to effect the story, so just bear with me. :/ **


	18. Chapter 16: Good News, Bad News

**Chapter 16: Good News, Bad News**

Hazy. Beautiful. Was waking up supposed to feel this nice? I never thought so before. But I couldn't help it. Waking up felt as good as falling asleep. Why did I feel like this?

_Edward_, I sighed. He was always invited to my dreams. I would never push him away. But the ache growing in my chest told me that was exactly what I was doing. Protecting him? No. I was reckless. Nothing I did made sense anymore.

My mood was ruined; I turned over in my bed, not feeling quite as comfortable as I did before. My eyes burned when they opened from the dried up tears. I blinked repeatedly and tried to focus on my alarm clock. 10:03 AM. Why did that feel weird? I tried to remember the significance; it was Sunday morning, 10 AM.

My palm flew to my forehead. "Crap." I had a doctor's appointment at 11. My braced hand lay unresponsive on the bed. I moved my fingers, clenched my fist. It felt fine. Maybe I would get it off today, since James broke it almost a month ago. I had to get to the hospital first. I rushed through my morning routine and was pulling out of the driveway by ten-thirty. Driving had been getting easier since my hand started healing. I technically wasn't supposed to be driving with a broken hand, but what else was I going to do?

There were two alternatives, both of which would never happen. Number 1: let Charlie drive me in the police cruiser. No. Number 2: If I were still with Edward, he would have insisted on driving me everywhere, I knew it. But that wasn't possible. Solitary, this was the only thing I could do.

I pulled into the physician building's parking lot, separate from the hospital, where my physician Dr. Gerandy worked. I arrived at exactly the right name and I pulled open the door of the facility. It brought a gush of air that smelled of stagnant tools to me, blowing my long brown hair back. The door made a whooshing sound as it closed slowly behind me. I shivered in the cold room and zipped my jacket up as I approached the receptionist.

"Hello," I said, gaining her attention.

She looked up. "Good morning!" Her white smile was a stark contrast to her dark skin. "How can I help you?"

"Uh, I have an appointment. With Dr. Gerandy," I added. Why was I so shy? I promised myself to work on my social skills later.

Her braids didn't move as she looked down at the sheet in front of her. Her long finger moved down the list. "Yes, Isabella Swan?" The door opened behind me and I shivered again.

"Mm-hmm," I smiled. There was something weird about the new air in the room. It was a feeling of familiarity; but not the good kind. It made me feel self-conscious, like someone was watching me. I turned my head slowly to look behind me at the person that had just walked in. Just an old man looking at his watch.

"I'll be with you in a minute," said the receptionist to the man. He acknowledged her but kept staring at his watch nervously, like he was waiting for something to happen. I'd seen that look before...

"Right this way." I turned my head back to the receptionist that was stepping out from behind her desk. I risked one more glance back at the old man as we walked through the door leading to the hallway that held the examination rooms. I was taken to room 16 and sat down on the crinkly paper.

"Dr. Gerandy will be with you soon." I nodded and she started to walk away when she stopped. She leaned back into the room and said, "I'm sorry, honey, I forgot. Dr. Gerandy isn't here today." _Well, that's great_. "Dr. Cullen from the main hospital is filling in for him. He should be here—"

"I'm right here," said the smooth voice of Carlisle Cullen, standing in the doorway alongside the receptionist, donning a long white lab coat and what I was sure were designer shoes. The Cullen's and their expensive tastes. The receptionist nodded, smiled, and walked away; Carlisle stepped into the room. "Bella," he acknowledged with a smile.

"Hello." This should have been awkward. I'd broken up with his son. Shouldn't he hate me? I was overreacting. Carlisle was over 300 years old; these petty things wouldn't matter to him.

"How have you been? We haven't seen you in a while." Carlisle asked, generally interested in my inconsequential life.

"I'm good." _Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie_, I chanted in my head. "And you? How has your family been?"

"We're doing well, thank you," he said approaching me. I tensed, unsure if I would be able to handle his proximity. I was still very sensitive about vampires being near me; I thought maybe the weird feeling I'd had in the waiting room meant one was near, but it must have just been Carlisle. "How does your hand feel?" he asked, applying light pressure to my exposed skin. I ignored the primal instinct telling me to get _the hell_ out of there.

"Fine," I responded as normally as possible. I held my breath as he reached down to undo the brace. Carlisle looked up at me, confusion etched across his perfect features. That's right; he could hear everything going on inside my body. I couldn't do anything about my racing heartbeat, so I let the air out of my lungs and smiled as if nothing was wrong.

Carlisle continued with his inspection without another word but peeked at me from time to time to make sure I wasn't going crazy. I'd established in my head that I already was, but no one, especially the father of my ex-boyfriend, needed to know that.

_Ex-boyfriend_, I sighed internally. I hated thinking about Edward like that, in such a commonplace way when I knew I felt much stronger about him. Especially after that dream last night. I very clearly still loved him with all my heart. James was the only setback. Another reason to get rid of him.

And the only way to do that was kill him. There was something seriously wrong with my life if I had to kill someone just to solve my problems. And it didn't matter that I wouldn't be doing the actual killing; it would have to be the Cullens. And surely they would, because I liked to think they would protect the town of Forks from bad vampires, even if it wasn't for me. I just had to get them in the same place as James, something I still hadn't figured out.

Carlisle led me to the x-ray machine and scanned my hand to make sure everything was back to normal. Then we went back to the examination room to wait for the x-rays. Luckily, to save me from an awkward conversation, Carlisle's phone rang and he left the room to take the call. I looked around at the utensils and waited patiently.

The door opened and in walked Carlisle, holding the x-ray. "Your hand is perfectly healed," he smiled. Something seemed wrong with the smile, though, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was. I didn't get to ask right away. "I was talking to Esme; she says hello."

Really? She still liked me? "Tell her I said hello, too."

"I will." There was still something wrong. I could ask, right?

"Is everything okay?" I hoped it wasn't weird that I was asking him this. After all, I did know his biggest secret.

He looked up at me. "Yes, of course. I was just thinking about a camping trip my family and I are going to take." Emphasis on 'camping'.

Why was he upset, then? Was some—Holy crow. This was _it_. The thing I needed to know for my plan to work. I had the who, what, how and why almost down pat, but it was the where and when I had no idea about. But that was about to change. _This was it_.

"Where?" I asked, sounding nonchalant (or trying to) to hide my excitement. Carlisle didn't seem to notice.

"The mountains, north of Seattle. We'll be hiking along the edge of the forest," he explained.

"That sounds fun," I said, playing the part of oblivious human in the presence of a vampire. _But when?_

"We're leaving this Friday, so you won't see the kids at school." Friday? Then I guess no one would see me at school either.

The whole conversation was bizarre. We both knew they weren't going to be camping. _Feeding_ was more accurate. Therefore it would be extremely dangerous for me and Jacob to be around them; but then again, wasn't I already in enough danger?

Carlisle told me to call if I ever had any questions about my hand; I already had their number. We left the small room and began walking down the hall to the waiting room. I thanked him sincerely for the help he'd given me today, the obvious and the one he didn't know about. He was about to respond when we were interrupted.

By screams.

Carlisle disappeared in a flash and I was surprised he didn't take the door off. I followed after and entered the waiting room, afraid of what I might see.

I was right to be afraid.

The old man from earlier was sprawled on the white floor, doctors bent over him. I remembered how the man had looked at his watch anxiously before I left the room. Did he know this was going to happen? Whatever this was? My curiosity inched me towards him, even though I just wanted to leave. My feet didn't stop until I was half a foot away from his life-less form. I could tell he was gone.

Then his eyes flew open and he gasped in air as his wrinkled face contorted and his hand latched onto my leg. His eyes connected with mine, and suddenly I wasn't in a physician's office; I was somewhere else completely, a dark hole filled with secrets and decay. He looked right into me and whispered one thing that had me prying his cold hand from my ankle and running out of the building.

"Leave," was his choked and broken last word.

And I knew.

As the howling wind enveloped every part of me, I still hoped he could hear my yell. "Who do you think you are?"

James had this planned. He had every move perfect, down to the second. And I hated him more for it. He didn't have the right to kill people, even if he wasn't the direct cause. He couldn't just use them and then throw them away. We're not disposable.

And at that point I didn't care if my plan didn't work. I would find a way to get rid of him. No matter what.

I couldn't wait to kill him.

**AN: Sorry it's been so long and sorry it sucks. I tried my best to get this out as soon as I finished it. I hope you like it, despite how short it is. If you have any questions or comments, just review and I'll answer them. Thanks :)**

**~Kj**


	19. Chapter 17: All of Me

Chapter 17: All of Me

Death is hard; death is exhausting. Which is really ironic since dying is easy. It's only difficult for those still alive. And I was living proof of that. As I got ready for school, I tried to make myself look presentable, but my skin was white and lifeless. Much like the Cullen's', but they pulled it off. I, for one, looked like a diseased anorexic. And yes, it really was that bad.

I pulled on a blue sweater, and after looking at myself in the mirror for five minutes, decided it looked good enough. Then I remembered it was the sweater Edward liked on me, in a time when all I had to worry about was his hunger. Now I had the whole town to protect from a psychotic vampire.

I should've stayed in Arizona.

But it was too late for that. I started something here, and I needed to finish it. Somehow, I became James' obsession, and he'd become mine. He wanted to kill me, and I wanted to kill him. Question is: who's faster?

I went to school hoping that I would be. Because my only other option was to die. Doesn't really sound like much fun.

The students of Forks High looked more morose than usual under the gray sky. They all made their way into the school in groups, paying no attention to order. They were kids, and deserved to be. I couldn't let James ruin that. Even though he was ruining it for me.

I walked into school with my head down. Everyone thought I was weird anyway. The new girl who befriended the odd family and rarely came to school, yes. I didn't really have any friends, nor did I want any. Relationships never last.

And then I saw a long line of students, all different shapes, sizes and backgrounds, lined up at the principal. He was handing out bracelets of some sort. I never really cared for school sponsored things like selling jewelry for a 'worthy cause', but I wanted to see what it was for. Maybe if I lent money to something, I'd feel better about life in general. The line was too long to see what the bracelets said, so I stopped a kid, Lee, from my class to ask.

"Hey. Lee."

He seemed shocked, like I'd never talked to him before. Hadn't I? Hm. "Hi, Bella."

I smiled slightly to not seem so frightening, but I feared my appearance already did the trick. "What are the bracelets for?"

"They're for Mike," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. It probably was, but with the whole not going to school/paying attention thing, I hadn't noticed. I saw Lee's now, on his wrist.

"Can I see yours?" I asked as politely as I could.

"Sure." He removed it and handed it to me. In red letters, it read, "Michael Newton - Forks is a family." I didn't understand; had the students and faculty become closer after Mike's death without me noticing? And how had I never heard of the bracelets? Had I become _that_ disconnected with everyone else in the world?

"Here. Thanks," I said, handing him back the rubber circle of deceit. Then I went to the bathroom and stayed there until after first period began. I contemplated just leaving but realized that if I lived after the James ordeal, school would still be an issue. So I walked to English and stopped beside the door.

I looked in. Mr. Mason was at his desk, taking attendance. Too lazy to do the job himself, he looked out to the students and asked, "Who's not here?"

One kid said 'Ross' and another said 'Bella'. I mentally cursed whoever said my name. Lee chose that moment to speak up. "She was here earlier. I just saw her." _Damn him_.

"Skipping again, I see," said the one and only nasal voice of Lauren Mallory. She laughed and so did nearly everyone else. Well, then.

I turned back around and went back to the bathroom. My stupid eyes were leaking again and I had to go dry them. I would probably go to school more if there were promising qualities in the future graduating class of Forks High School. Teenagers are really what's wrong with the world.

Before I entered the restroom, I realized it was the same one I'd told Edward I knew that he was a vampire in. Such a short time ago, yet so much had happened. And then I felt his presence (don't ask me how). Edward was behind me and all it took was for me to turn around and let him see my tear-soaked face and I was in his arms.

And I never felt better, or more safe. It didn't matter what brought us together, just that we were. I didn't care that he was a vampire and that I should be afraid of him. He was Edward, and I was Bella, and everything was okay. We'd never broken up and life was perfect.

He'd come to me because I was hurting, no matter how petty or how he knew. He cared. I kissed him, softly at first, then stronger. I couldn't care less that we were in a school hallway or that a relationship between us was doomed. It was all him, all Edward. And we stayed together until a shrill ring cut our moments apart and students rushed away in a swirl of reality.

Edward reassured me with one last kiss before disappearing, leaving me content and ready to face my monsters head on.

* * *

In the wild turn of events my day had been, I stayed at school. I ate lunch in the library, but I went to biology. Edward held my hand under the desk the whole hour and never said a word; he didn't need to.

I went home feeling less of a jumbled mess. I called Jacob to finalize our plans for Friday: skip school, ride to Seattle, deal with James, have a nice dinner, sleep. He was very nonchalant about it all, but I knew he had to be just a little bit scared. I wasn't, because I knew Edward would be there and he would protect me.

We hung up knowing that the next time we saw each other, James would be going down.

About time.

**AN: Sorry it's been so long. But to make up for it, this is the first of three updates. One every week on Tuesday. Are we okay? Cool. I know this one's short but, not gonna lie, this is all filler. Because if I didn't have this wonderful filler, my story would be like 5 chapters. No one likes that.**

**So anyways, what I really want to know is if you guys would be interested in a sequel, perchance. I have an idea, and I'm leaving the ending open for one. Please tell me in a review! Thank you for reading.**

**3**

**~Kj **


	20. Chapter 18: Save Me

Chapter 18: Save Me

Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. It took too long for them to pass. Then again, every time I thought of the coming Friday, butterflies appeared in my stomach. I was nervous and scared and hopeful all at the same time. Then I would look at the situation from a new perspective and the butterflies went away and there was nothing to be feared.

And that perspective was Edward. Just by holding my hand, kissing me and never saying a word, he gave me all the hope in the world. We had an unspoken understanding that I needed someone and it didn't matter what the reason was. And _that's_ what proved to me that he loved me and that he would keep me safe no matter what he had to do.

And that was why, as I got dressed on Friday morning, I wasn't afraid. I wasn't ashamed to lie to Charlie about where I was going that day. I didn't regret my actions that took me to that day. I was excited at the fact that, maybe, after all of this was over, I could still be with Edward. Maybe, just maybe, things would be okay again.

I personally couldn't wait to play the piano again, hopefully finish the song inspired by Jacob. I needed a few more lessons, though, and technically Edward was still my piano teacher, so I could use that excuse for not only education, but to spend more time with him.

But first, James.

I entered the kitchen with my backpack slung over one shoulder, even though it was just a prop. Due to my preparation, I was early and had plenty of time to eat breakfast and act like today was any other normal school day. I made breakfast for me and Charlie and waited for him to come downstairs. When he did, he gave me an odd look, as if he hadn't seen me in a long time. And I could imagine why he would feel that way; suddenly, I'm awake on time and making him food again as opposed to my previous irresponsible stint. I really felt like I was coming back, too.

Charlie didn't say anything about it, just hugged me and kissed my head. He sat down and tucked in to his food, and I joined him. I finished first and went to clean my dishes. Charlie cleared his throat and I knew he was going to say something.

"So, Bells, how're you and Edward?" he asked. Didn't he know we'd broken up? I could've sworn I'd told him before.

"Um . . . We-We're not together." I didn't elaborate, hoping he'd remember now that I'd said it again.

"That's not what I heard." I turned slowly to look at my father with a confused look on my face. He winked. "Word gets around."

I scoffed lightly. "Yeah, it does." I didn't know anyone had seen me and Edward's recent . . . interactions. For all I knew, someone could have seen us kissing, but I didn't notice because I honestly didn't care about anything else at that time. Well it really didn't matter because after today, things would be better.

I just knew it.

I picked up my backpack and headed towards the door. Anymore 'parent-child' talk with Charlie would just be disastrous. I was _just_ about to make it out alive when Charlie called out my name.

"Where are you going?"

"School," I said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You better be," he said, police chief written all over his face.

"Dad. I am. I'm going to school, I promise." _I'm so going to hell for this._

"Good." His features softened. "It's just that I've been worried about you lately. You haven't been going to your classes and you seem, well, different." He stood up and walked towards me, and I knew this was serious. "Bella, I don't want whatever you're going through to change you. I know it's hard to deal with all of the deaths happening, but I want you to know it's okay to talk to me about it." He shifted uncomfortably. "I want you to go to school and learn the best you can. You're my little girl, Bells, and I want you to stay that way."

I gulped at the lump in my throat. "Dad . . ." He hugged me, patting my head, comforting me. "I promise. I'll be better," I whispered. But what would I do now? Could I break my promise and go after James anyway? I just . . . needed more time.

We broke away, me sniffling like a fool, before I smiled and walked towards the stairs. "What're you doing?" he asked.

"I forgot something upstairs," I improvised. I bolted up the staircase and closed my door behind me. I leaned against the door, contemplating my choices. Should I just go to school like Charlie wants me to or lie to him again and fight James? Should I make Charlie think everything's okay, or actually protect him?

I bit my lip in nervousness and frustration. I didn't have time to rethink this. _What do I do?_

Before I could decide, I heard the phone ring downstairs. _It's probably Jacob_, I thought, _wondering where I am_. But I didn't move from my spot; what would I say to him? What?

"Bella!" Charlie yelled. "Jake's on the phone!" What choice did I have? I had to tell him something. With a heavy heart, I opened the door walked into the hallway, holding the railing on my way down the stairs. I kept my eyes down as I entered the kitchen and took the phone from Charlie. I couldn't look him in the eye while not knowing if I was going to betray him.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bella," Jake said quickly. "Listen, I'm really sorry –No, Rach, in a minute –I'm so sorry –Hold on!"

"Jacob, Jacob, slow down. What's going on?" He sounded . . . I don't know, excited? Who else was he talking to?

"Rachel's here," he exhaled. There was loud talking in the background and Jake shushed them. Rachel was at Jake's house? Rachel Black, one of Jacob's distant sisters?

"Wait, Jacob, your sister?" I asked, straining to hear him.

"Yeah, she's –just a minute," he told me. When he returned, there was quiet on his end. "Yeah, she just showed up this morning, or last night, I don't know. I haven't seen her in forever."

"That's great. But, why are you calling? You could've told me later," I added, since Charlie was standing next to me.

"Well, that's the point. Rachel's here. I-I just can't leave now. She hasn't been home since she left for college and I need to be here. I'm so sorry."

I felt betrayed. I needed him to help me face James, and my best friend wouldn't do it. I knew it was irrational to feel that way, but I couldn't help it.

At least I knew I would be going to school that day.

"Bella? I know this is bad, but I'll try to make it up—"

"It's okay, Jake. Be with your family. I'll . . . figure it out," I said quietly, shaking my head. I sounded calm, but inside I was falling apart. What the hell was I going to do? "I'll see you soon."

"Bye Bells," he whispered. Then I hung up the phone, grabbed my keys, and walked out the door without looking back.

I spent the day not learning a thing, feeling completely alone, and ignoring everybody. Edward wasn't there to comfort me, and it hurt even more to know I wouldn't see him for over a week since next week was spring break.

And during Biology, I came to terms with the fact that I was going to die. I was never going to beat James and he was going to chase me till I died. And I hoped that at least I wouldn't go completely crazy before then.

When I got home, I continued on with my normal routine, but I knew Charlie noticed my empty eyes. He thought he'd lost me, the one thing I promised him I wouldn't let happen; and I couldn't find it in me to deny it.

All I knew that night as I lay in bed was that the only bit of hope left was with Edward. I needed him to save me.

* * *

**AN: Yay more filler! Ugh. One more update next Tuesday and then a rather large chapter I haven't started yet so I don't know when that'll be up. Um kind of disappointed that I only got one review last chapter. I think my readers win the least responsive award. But if you decide to pop out of your shell, please tell me what you thought and if you would like a sequel. Or whatever. I'm gonna go bathe.**

**TMI?**

**Oh well.**

**~Kj**


	21. Chapter 19: Plan B

Chapter 19: Plan B

Before moving to Forks, I thought I was stable. Mentally, emotionally, somewhat physically, but sane, nonetheless. But then I experienced the supernatural and I fell in love, and my heart took over. I thought I had forever planned out, until it all backfired. I got scared and walked away from the one thing that made me happy by telling myself I was protecting him. When in reality, I was the one that needed protecting. If I'd told him the truth, he could have helped me.

It's shameful that it took me so long to realize that. I could have prevented all of this, the regret, the guilt, the death. Mike would be alive, I wouldn't be scared to walk outside, I could be happy. . .

I wouldn't hate myself.

I wallowed all weekend until I woke up to a sunny Monday morning and remembered that life goes on. The house was messy and we didn't have any food. I ate leftover pizza for breakfast and started on the laundry. Maybe I'd fall in . . .

The phone rang shrilly from the kitchen and I pulled myself out of the underwear to get it. Glad we'd made the trade to cordless, I picked up and answered while walking back to the washing machine.  
"He—"

"Bella!"

"Jacob?" I asked. Although I should be used to it, I'd only recently talked to him through the phone.

"Um, do you mind if I come over? It's kind of . . . cramped over here." He sounded uncomfortable. I was, too. I didn't know if I forgave him for abandoning me, or if that was the real issue here.

"Well I'm just going to be cleaning and running errands. I don't really think you'd want to . . ." I trailed off.

"Please? I need to talk to you." I could imagine his dark brown eyes pleading, his long hair framing his face, his hands reaching. Jacob had some control over me, and I had to give in.

"Fine."

"Cool. I'll be over soon." And he hung up, leaving me kind of wishing I'd dropped the phone in the washing machine.

I was able to put in each load of laundry and clean the downstairs before Jacob knocked on the door.

"Come in!" I yelled. I didn't turn around when I heard the door open, thinking Jake would come straight in. I continued folding laundry until I felt it; that cold, someone's-watching-me feeling I got that day at the doctor's office. And it only meant one thing. James.

I stood still. I couldn't turn around and see if he'd entered my house, I couldn't see if he was just standing there, taunting me. I braced the facts that I didn't know how to kill a vampire, or if it was even possible. No, he would chase me first, and that's how I'd know at least that part of my plan would work. I put down the shirt I was folding and closed my eyes.

"Bella."

I gasped. Because it was a voice I recognized very well. I half-turned and saw Jake out of the corner of my eye. I exhaled in a large gust and laughed humorlessly.

"Are you okay?"

"I thought . . . I thought you were James." I said weakly.

"Why would you think that?" He was confused and a little bit insulted, I could tell.

"I felt him." My eyes connected with Jacob's. "Don't ask." His expression suggested he wasn't going to.

He helped me finish folding the clothes, which wasn't much. Before I could move on to anything else, he stopped me. "Look, I'm sorry, Bells, I really am. I know I've said it a million times, but it's true. After spending the weekend with Rachel, I realized she wasn't worth our friendship. I know it's too late, but I'll do anything I can to help you."

Despite only being 15 years old, Jacob was mature and smart and caring. He was the best friend a girl could have. I hugged him hard. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He wrapped his arms around me, and his warmth brightened my outlook. "Nice underwear, by the way." I looked up to see him grinning like the Cheshire cat. Okay, maybe he wasn't so mature.

"Jacob Black," I scolded, slapping his chest. I pulled away from him quickly. "Apologize or you don't get to sample various meats and cheeses at the grocery store."

His face dropped. "Sorry."

I nodded, keeping a straight face. I sure knew how to get to a teenage boy, or any man really: through his stomach. "If you're good today, I _might_ let you stay for dinner."

"I'll push the shopping cart for you," he offered.

I reached up and patted his head. "Good dog," I laughed. He rolled his eyes. "Let's go."

I grabbed my jacket and keys and headed for the door. But before I left, I couldn't help but notice one of my shirts was missing.

* * *

"Wait. You put _butter_ in _cookies_?" Jake asked incredulously as I placed items into the cart.

"It's not butter, it's margarine, shortening. Trust me, cookies wouldn't be the same without it." He still looked confused, as if his childhood were ruined. What did he think, cookies were made from glitter and rainbows?

I saw the oats that I needed, but realized my lack of height would not help me get them. "Can you hand me those?"

"Oats?" Jacob asked, confused.

"Yes, oats," I said, gesturing upwards to them. He reached up effortlessly and grabbed the container only to examine them closely. I sighed and took them from him.

"Oats in chocolate chip cookies?" He shook his head. "Next you're going to tell me there's salt, too."

"Actually, yes." Poor boy never looked so lost. "It's not regular salt, just . . . " I trailed off when his expression changed.

"Uh, I might be crazy, but vampire, four o'clock." He pointed behind me. And I became nervous. I hadn't felt the eerie feeling I got when James was near, but Jake had never seen what James looked like. How would he know the difference?

My head whipped around without my permission and my eyes caught my target. I had to give props to Jacob; he was right. Emmett Cullen stood in the adjacent aisle, looking like, well, like a vampire in a grocery store. Out of place and utterly confused.

"You're not crazy" was all I was able to whisper to Jake before Emmett wandered into our aisle nonchalantly, stoking his chin as he scanned the shelves. He looked absurd, by the way. I figured if he were there to talk to me (which seemed most logical), then I would let him approach. No need to strike up an awkward, unwanted conversation.

So I turned my attention back to groceries. Then I heard it: my name said in a bad Italian accent. "Eets-a-bella Swan!" I barely turned around before I was lifted into a bear hug. Seriously, my feet weren't even touching the ground. Either Emmett didn't know how strong he was or he was teasing me.

I sputtered. "Human," I told him in a wheeze. In a second, my feet landed square on the ground and air filled my body again. Jacob put a hand on my back but I waved him away.

"Sorry," said Emmett. I didn't blame him for anything; that was just how he said hello. I gave him a playful glare as I remembered how _I_ said hello: jokes.

"No problem, Emmy the pooh bear." I winked. He appraised me a moment before narrowing his eyes.

"Well played," he allowed. And knowing Emmett, even for such a short amount of time, he couldn't keep a straight face for long. He cracked a smile and his light dimples showed through.

"Thank you. So what are you doing here?"

"Shopping." As if it was the most obvious thing in the world. I gave him a look.

Instead of responding, he looked behind me to Jake. "Did you know there's butter in cookies?"

Jacob crossed his arms. "Weird, right?" I took that chance to look at Emmett's finds. A first-aid kit and bendy straws. I couldn't help but be a little confused.

"Are you going to make cookies?" I asked, curious and also hoping to end the awkward exchange between Emmett and Jacob.

"Yeah. I thought I'd try my hand at it. Esme's going to teach me. And if they're good, we'll take them camping with us."

I looked around, as if I were being pranked and someone was going to jump out of nowhere and laugh at me. Was he being serious? _Cookies?_ He doesn't even—he _can't_ even eat them! Unless he planned on putting blood in them. Which just sounded all the more ridiculous.

Then it hit me—harder than a vampire running 200 miles-per-hour. _We'll take them camping with us_. Could it be possible that I was being given a second chance? The same gods that sent me Edward were sending me Emmett! Or perhaps the entire Cullen family. If so, then I needed to grab it while I still could.

"Camping?" I asked, hiding my excitement. "Didn't you go last weekend?" I snuck a glance back at Jacob to see if he was following me. His arms slowly unfolded, and I think he got it.

"Well only some of us went. The others had to stay back and deal with . . . something." It seemed my plan wouldn't have worked last weekend anyway.

"Oh, well, have fun. Are you going to the same place?"

"Yep. We're leaving on Thursday." He smiled. I was reminded of Edward, even though they weren't actually related. I guessed after over fifty years together, you rub off on the other.

"We've got to go," I said, grabbing the cart and coincidentally pulling Jacob along, too. "I'll see you around."

"Bye, Bella."

* * *

Jacob and I went back to my house and re-worked our plan for Friday while we put the groceries away and I started dinner. He ate with me and Charlie and stayed a bit longer so I could teach him to make cookies. And boy, was _that_ an experience.

I started to feel normal again. Until I remembered how I'd thought James had entered my house today, and how the moment I turned my back, one of my shirts was gone. I longed to be safe. But that couldn't happen until I was protected.

And so the days ticked by.

**AN: Argh! The last of the three updates. I hope it's enjoyable. I had fun writing it, especially the Emmett-y parts. I've started Chap 20, but it's going to be a long one. It's going to be different to. Hm. How about if you review, I'll send you a sneak peek of the next chapter? Just a small thing that I liked. It's in Jacob's point-of-view, so I hope it'll be a nice break. *Sigh* I need to get away from the computer. Tchao.**

**~Kj**


	22. Chapter 20: Beneath the Fire Part 1

**Chapter 20: Beneath the Fire (Part 1)**

**Jacob's Point-of-view:**

Not gonna lie, I was kinda nervous. I mean, we were practically walking into a death trap like it was a candy shop. This James guy was some serious business. Not only was he creepy, he was deadly, too. Like, he actually _killed_ people. I wondered a lot if Bella was completely off her rocker, leading him to her and all. But then I figured if someone were killing off people I knew (and random ones too) then I would be pretty pissed off. So it made sense for Bella to want to get rid of him, permanently.

But I also wondered, did I have to be a part of this? I knew that my ancestors were, but things have changed since then. I'm not some wolf shape-shifty thing like them. Only one part of that myth was true, and that's the part about vampires. But humans were strong then, too, right? Take the Third Wife for instance. She helped take the Cold Ones out, plain human. Would that be what it was going to take? Sacrifice?

Now, to be truthful, I wasn't just doing this because Bella's my friend. It was also because I kinda liked her more than I should have. She couldn't help that she was pretty. But damn, was she pretty. Everything about her was. Even her crazy parts. She was funny, too. I bet she didn't know it, but she was hilarious. Especially when heavily medicated or tripping over her own feet. I liked being there to pick her up when she fell. God, even when she was falling, she was pretty . . .

_Wow, Jacob. Pick your balls up off the floor and go kick some vampire ass. Seriously, stop being such a girl_, I had to remind myself. Being wimpy wasn't on the to-do list for the day. And I had to be strong for Bella; if she didn't have me as an example, I think she would crumble to pieces.

I headed out of my square of a room, ducking so I wouldn't hit my head _again_. Growth spurts suck big time. I'd grown at least a foot-and-a-half in the past month. Was that even possible? I was tempted to call up the Guinness Book of World Records people just to check if I could get an award or something. But then doctors would probe me and try to figure out what made me grow so fast and steal my spinal fluid.

Or something like that.

I shouldn't have been, but I was relieved when I saw Dad was the only one in the house. Don't get me wrong, I like Rachel and all, of course I do, she's my sister, but she could be a real pain. Who shows up at 4 in the morning after not coming home at all in two years? It wasn't cool and I made sure she knew it. Then she said if I were older, I would've done the same thing. But I didn't think I would have. Just because I was younger didn't mean I loved Mom any less.

When Rachel and Rebecca left after they turned 18, it was because our mom died. They just couldn't stand being in the small house with so many memories of her. I had a real problem with that, them leaving. I missed Mom, but I wouldn't leave Dad all alone, especially in a wheelchair. The twins blamed him for Mom's death, but I didn't. They were bitter and I really didn't want them around, but I wanted them to stay. Rebecca'd stayed in Hawaii with her husband, but Rachel couldn't stay at school. Why?

She said she didn't know either. That she'd just had a strong urge to come back home. Whatever. If I found out her true ulterior motive, I'm sure it wouldn't be quite so vague.

"Morning, Dad," I said as I walked into the kitchen. "Where's Rachel?" I just had to ask.

"Morning, son." He turned in his wheelchair and smiled. "Rachel's at the store. Said she'd be back in ten minutes but it's been near half an hour." He shook his head.

"Why am I not surprised?" I muttered. We were used to people leaving by now. It was almost a joke, but without the funny.

While I made my gourmet breakfast, and by gourmet I mean cereal, I started thinking about life. Life in general, how sometimes, for instance, it's like Fruit Loops. And other times, it's All-Bran. One way, it's colorful and fun, and another way, it's boring and tasteless. But either way, you can guess what's going to happen. There's only a set amount of things that can occur during your lifetime. You know, go to school, get married, have kids, die, and whatever else 'expected' thing is going to happen. But when it comes to me, life is Cheerios mixed with Lucky Charms and Reese's Puffs. And I would bet Bella's isn't that much different.

I ate my delicious, life-filled cereal while leaning against the counter. Dad left to get dressed and I took that moment to sneak a peek at the newspaper. I'd taken to doing that every morning since Bella told me her plan to check if there had been anymore 'suspicious' deaths. Every day or two, there would be a story about missing people or small fires set off near the forest. Before, I would have thought it was just stupid kids messing around, but after Bella told me more about vampires and I delved into my people's history, it became obvious what had been causing the disturbances. Vampires. One, to be exact, since the Cullen's Bella was so fond of apparently didn't drink blood from humans. Lamest vampires ever, if I'd ever heard of them.

Today was no different. Four teenagers went missing last night with ashes left near where they were last seen. James was getting a little sloppy, in my opinion. Weren't you supposed to lure them away and hide their remains, if any? And I couldn't help but notice the number was higher than ever. He never took more than two at a time. Maybe he wasn't alone.

I guessed I'd find out later and got dressed myself. I tied my hair back with a rubber band and debated bringing a knife, you know, just in case, but decided against it. It wouldn't do much to a vampire and I would probably end up hurting myself or Bella.

I tried leaving without saying anything to anyone, but of course, no, that didn't happen. I couldn't believe I didn't hear people come into the house. Dad was in the living room, but so were Rachel and someone else I couldn't see. I walked farther out of my room, and with there being no hallways in my home, me and the mysterious stranger saw each other at the same time. And when I did see him, I almost kicked a chair. It was Paul Lahote.

Now let me tell you about Paul. Ill-tempered, lazy, asshole, jerk. And that's Paul.

So what the balls was he doing in my house?

"Jacob," Rachel addressed me. I jerked my chin in her direction and tore my eyes from Paul. "You know Paul, right?"

I barely nodded, all cool-like. "Yeah, we used to go to the same school." Emphasis on the 'used to'. He stopped showing up a month ago. I didn't care that he was older than me and a senior; it doesn't mean that you can start dicking around and stop going to school.

No one said anything else and it got extremely awkward. Before I turned around to leave, I saw Paul's hand disappear behind Rachel's back. I'd never walked out of a door so fast in my life.

While I waited for Bella to retrieve me (it sounds cooler than 'pick me up'), I started thinking about how Paul had missed a lot of school and it reminded me of Bella, weirdly enough. She'd missed some school lately, _and_ she was older than me, and, well, it made me rethink my internal comment about Paul. Maybe he'd gone through something, something that kept him home, away from others. Like Bella. I got to thinking that maybe he wasn't as bad as I thought he was.

But then I remembered his hand going around Rachel's back, like they were a couple. Anything non-anti-Paul vanished, and I would never think better of him. Not now. Never.

Bella showed up before too long and extracted me (again, sounds so much cooler) from my hell-house. I couldn't wait to finally get this done and over with. Too much rage going unchecked was not good for a teenage boy. I had a check-list. First, James. Second, Paul. I'd get rid of them both. We were so close, I could feel it.

And then it all fell to crap.

* * *

**Bella's Point-of-view:**

Getting out of the house wasn't the problem; it was getting the car to start. I knew the rusted truck was bound to give out any time now, but today, at this very moment? Definitely not what I needed. It took some hardcore coaxing to get it working again and I prayed it would last me through the day.

I got to Jacob's a little bit later than expected and I could tell because Jake was sitting outside. "Car troubles" just didn't seem really like an excuse at a time like this. Hesitation, fear; those were more likely ones. If Jacob had asked, I would have said all three, but he didn't say a word. His face looked like it was carved from stone, so determined his face couldn't move. Which was good, being determined, but I wasn't sure if he was entirely focused on what _we_ were about to do.

All the while, I kept imagining the Cullen's running around the forest, feeding. And then I would do something to get their attention and they would see what was happening. Then they would save me and dispose of James. No one would get hurt and all would be good.

_Yeah, right_, said the cynical part of my brain, _with your luck, the whole forest will set on fire and acid rain will fall from the sky._ Then James would be dead, though, right? _Yeah, so would you and Jacob and the Cullen's._ Oh.

I must have been going crazy. Again. Talking to myself? Not remotely good.

Apart from that, I really thought everything was going to be fine. I _really_, _truly_ believed that _everything _would turn out _perfectly_. I should've known that, by now, nothing good could come out of dabbling in the world of vampires.

We made it pretty far down the road before it happened. Our destination wasn't far off, but it was also just that much more of a distance. When it happened, I hate to say I was genuinely shocked. It was stupid of me. On a back road, one that went around Seattle and to our destination, my truck died. And not just the 'oh we can fix it right here, no problem' died, the 'it's never going to work again' died.

We were stuck. Jacob tried unrelentingly to get it to run again. I was too busy hitting myself in the head to be of much help. I really should have seen it coming. The truck was old and it wouldn't work earlier, either. I don't know what made me think it would make it.

Oh, that's right, hope. Hope is what made me think the already dying truck could make the trip to northern Seattle, what led me to believe that I could beat a monster like James, kept me in love with Edward when I knew it could never work.

Damn hope.

So we just sat there, leaning against the truck, not talking. I'd gotten Jacob to stop trying to fix the truck, but then he just fiddled with the removable parts. My mind was not a fun place to be, I have to admit. There are some things I wish I'd never thought. But when something so crushing, so devastating happens to you, you really can't help it.

I brushed my hair back from my face and took a deep breath in. I was about to let it out and wash away with the wind, but my mouth was clamped shut by what felt like stone. I could feel the ache in my jaw as the stone lifted me up and flew me away from the truck. I didn't have time to let out a muffled scream, we were going so fast. And I felt cold, but not because of the temperature. There was no doubt that James had me in his grasp. The only doubt was in if I would live.

The world stopped blurring around me. My feet weren't touching the ground and my back was facing my captor. I stupidly started flailing, kicking, and screaming even though I knew I wouldn't get free or be heard. It was getting harder to breathe through my nose because James' hand had slipped up quickly after he stopped running. I could feel myself sliding down his body, like he was losing his grip. Could he have been? It didn't seem likely. Anyway, it was very uncomfortable.

The next thing I knew, my back crunched against a rough object. I'd been flung against a large tree with a strong base. I felt immobilized and feared paralyzation before I was lifted into the air and thrown into another, shorter tree face first. I was able to cover my chest with my arms, but they were scratched against the bark and my nose felt like it had retreated inside my skull. I wanted to cry and scream, but I was lifted into a standing position before I could count to three.

I couldn't stand. My legs were floppy and discombobulated and I could barely feel them. I could see James' face now, and I couldn't close my eyes. He looked me up and down then thrust me up against the tree. He wanted me to climb it. But as soon as he let go of me, I fell backwards on the sticks and leaves of the forest floor. I was panting out of pain and bewilderment. I didn't know how much more I could take.

James lifted me by one of my legs, I knew because my back wasn't touching the ground anymore, and with a flick of his fingers, I was soaring upwards. My body flew through the branches and into the sky. Behind the raring wind in my ears, I could think of all the things I wanted to try in my lifetime. And I could remember thinking how I would never get to do them. On my way down, I didn't think about anything. Not until my head cracked against a tree limb and my eyes rolled back.

I was numb. There wasn't a feeling to be had. There was nothing.

Cold, hard lips pressed against mine and I thought I was dreaming, or already dead. There wasn't a possible way for Edward to be with me, because he couldn't be dead too. Even in the state I was in, I knew I was still alive and Edward wasn't the one kissing me. James' prying fingers pulled my mouth open farther. His mouth was still on top of mine, and I could taste a liquid passing into my mouth. As a last effort, I tried to cough to keep whatever it was out of me.

I was no fight for him. I managed not to swallow his kiss for a little while, but he held his hand over my mouth so I couldn't breathe. It was my only choice if I didn't want to die. But wouldn't I be better off dead? As I swallowed, I realized that what James had put in my mouth was venom. I'd just swallowed a mouthful of venom!

Was I going to become a vampire? Did it work that way? Before I could theorize, I was falling again, the wind on my face telling me I had been very high up. When I hit the ground, I could literally imagine every single bone in my body breaking. My eyes rolled forward on impact, but the forest around me was a blur. I couldn't focus on anything.

And that's why I was utterly confused when I saw a large brown animal lunge after the pale, grounded figure of James.

**AN: dun dun DUN! Well that's part one of the big chapter. I can honestly say I don't know when part 2 will be up because I haven't started it yet. Sorry. Questions, comments, concerns? PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME! I'm just talking to myself about my story, and we all know that's not good. Thanks for reading!**

**~Kj**


	23. Chapter 20: Beneath the Fire Part 2

**Chapter 20: Beneath the Fire (Part 2)**

I thought that I would have passed out by now. I couldn't feel most of my body, but my brain was very much working. I didn't know how James' venom was going to affect my body, but I did know _his_ might be in jeopardy.

My eyesight became clearer and I could see that a giant wolf-like creature was attacking James. I hoped I was just hallucinating because I was frightened. I'd never seen anything like it before, even with my limited knowledge of animals. Its fur was a rusty brown, indefinable yet beautiful. The teeth were longer than my pinky finger and covered in saliva. The fight came so close sometimes that I could see these things. This wolf was dangerous, deadly. I'd like to say James was scared, but I never saw his face. I drifted away for a minute, but I was awakened by a slow broil starting in my legs.

The wolf leaped over me and its snout nuzzled my head. I stopped breathing; it disappeared again. I breathed in and I could feel a burning in my back. Another breath in and my head was scalding, but it was all on the inside. Was I turning? It didn't feel that bad. From what I'd heard from the Cullen's, it was agony. So what was _really_ happening?

I was very warm, almost comfortable despite the circumstances. My lips were dry though from breathing through my mouth. My nose was definitely broken and it wasn't getting that burning feeling. I was sure it was only happening to the inside of my body.

A large crash led my eyes to the fight. Something was different. I could see now that the wolf was a lump on the ground, but where was James? I didn't get to see. I was transported to another enclosed forest area. Someone, a vampire, was holding me firmly yet softly. Protecting me.

"Edward!" I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest. I was embarrassed by my outburst, but could you blame me?

He pulled me away from him and kissed my forehead. "Are you alright?" he asked frantically while surveying my body.

"Um, I'm not sure," I admitted.

"Do you feel any burning?" He asked immediately after I answered his first question.

"Yeah, but it's not bad." I could see his face contorting, showing so many emotions. It was painful. "Edward. Edward! I feel fine. Better than I did before."

He was angry now. "What did he do to you?"

"He hurt me. And then he kissed me." Edward was raging quietly. "B-But it wasn't romantic. I honestly don't know why he did it."

"Did you swallow venom?"

"Yes." I paused. "Set me down."

"What?"

He was surprised at the sudden change in conversation.

"Please." He gently set me on the ground. I wobbled and Edward caught me, but I told him told him to let me go. I could stand. My body felt almost completely healed. The burning was slowly fading away and it hurt less. It would almost seem I was never hurt in the first place.

Realization swept in. "He saved me."

Edward's confusion deepened so much that I could feel it. "Bella, what are you talking about?"

"James. He's been torturing me for the past few months—"

"I know."

"—and he f—you know?"

"Yes. I'll explain it later. Continue with what you were saying."

"Uh, well, I-I, um, he almost killed me, but he made my swallow his venom and now all of the injuries inside of me are healed."

Edward thought about this.

"Wait – where is James? How did you get here?"

"My brothers have him . . . and they're not doing too well." I could tell that the thoughts of his siblings had turned bad.

"We have to go to them."

"No. You've already been in enough danger."

"This isn't about just me. It's about everyone I care about and that includes your family. Take me to them." He knew I was right. He couldn't not take me.

"Fine." Edward lifted me into his arms again and ran there at a less scary pace. He set me down 50 yards away from three figures moving co quickly I could only count them. I noticed that the wolf was gone. I remembered Jacob and hoped that he was safe with the truck. I felt so bad for dragging him into this.

The three figures stopped moving. James was standing while Emmett and Jasper were on the ground. Edward inched towards them but didn't move any closer. "Go," I mouthed to him. I understood that he needed to protect his brothers. He hesitated, testing himself. I nodded and he was gone. He appeared in front of James, but they didn't start fighting. Somehow I could tell they were talking. I hated my curiosity; I needed to hear what they were saying.

I looked for the quietest route to get to the clearing. I took light steps and slowly went forth. The trees guided me and I got close enough to make out faces and hopefully make out words. By the time I got there, the talking was over and the fighting had begun. It was difficult to watch, I have to say. Even though Edward seemed to be winning, I winced every time he was hit. As I watched Edward fight James, I became grateful that I had Edward. He really was my protector.

I hoped this could be over fast, despite the fact that hope had screwed me over before. I'd had enough of James. The world didn't need him in it. I'm ashamed to admit I wanted his death, but in the case of what he'd done, I could accept it. For Mike, for the old man, and for any innocent person he'd killed.

I took my eyes away from the fight for a minute to survey my surroundings. A plant, a tree, Alice, some – wait, Alice! I was about to say something to her, but she slipped behind a tree and practically disappeared except for her golden eyes peeping out of the green leaves. She winked.

I shook my head and laughed. I turned back to the fight and it was halted. James was looking in my direction. I didn't freeze in my spot. He was scaring me less and less by the minute. Edward went for an attack, but James deflected it, still staring at me. Even from my distance, I could clearly see satisfaction on his face. Like he meant to do this to me.

Edward went for another attack, but James caught his harm and pulled until it came cleanly off. He was going to kill him. My legs had a mind of their own and started moving towards the vampires. Alice called my name but I kept moving. She grabbed me when I got about ten feet away.

"Bella! Stop!" Alice yelled, holding me back. I was actually glad she caught me because I didn't have a plan for this. But what did she expect me to do? Just stand there and watch Edward get dismembered?

What happened next made me understand.

A fast, slick figure whizzed down from nowhere. It grabbed hold of James and threw him on the ground, leaving Edward armless on the ground. Keeping my eyes on the figure, I ran to Edward. He stayed where he was while I observed his gaping shoulder. His arm lay five feet away on the grass, twitching. The sight was disturbing to see, right out of a nightmare.

Edward wasn't paying attention to me or his injury. I followed his eyes to the newcomer, who pulled James up and slammed him back down not a foot from us. The figure's face was still and visible. Familiar.

Mike.

He was alive. And judging by his bright red eyes, a newborn vampire. He leaned forward into James and said something into his ear. It was quick, quiet; I couldn't hear it. Then Mike pulled James' head right off and his limbs in succession. I was breathing heavily through my mouth, fighting to remain focused on the killing of James.

I was hyperventilating by the time flames erupted from the pile of body parts that had been James. Mike stood solemnly next to the pyre, flames shadowing his pale face. Edward got up and retrieved his arm and helped me up. I curled into him and watching the burning. It all happened too fast.

The rest of the Cullen family, who I didn't even know were there, appeared in the enclosed area. Jasper and Emmett were fine, standing with their partners. I didn't want to stay, but I didn't want to leave at the same time. I needed and explanation.

And an explanation was what I got.

**AN: Yep. We're almost at the end folks. I wish I had more reviews, considering the amount of people who have subscribed and favorited, but you know, whatever. I really don't know when the next chapter is going to be up because there's going to be a lot of esplanin' to do from the Cullen's. Tell me what you thought about Mike! Oh come on, you **_**have**_** to be confused about that! Pretty please! Even if you leave a review that just says 'chicken' that would be great because it at least tells me you're reading. Thanks.**

**~Kj**


	24. Chapter 21: Almost Gone

**Chapter 21: Almost Gone**

We drove back to the Cullen's house in one of their cars, Edward holding my hand the entire way. His touch did not calm me at all. I felt like a child and that the grown-ups had played a trick on me. I couldn't believe I'd spent so much time worrying my life away when I could have told the vampire family of the trouble I was facing and they would have already been prepared to help me. God, I felt so stupid.

"Stop it." Edward dropped my hand on the seat and inclined his head in my direction.

"Stop what?" What was I doing that could be bothering him?

"Thinking like that. I may not be able to hear your thoughts, but I can see it on your face. Whatever it is, stop blaming yourself for it."

"What? How did you-?" I stopped myself from getting tongue-tied so that I could ask a coherent question. "Why are you mad at me?"

"I'm not mad," he said, softer than before. "I don't understand why you seem to be angry with yourself." His golden eyes were pleading quietly. Well if it was going to be honesty hour, why not start now.

"Basically. . . I feel stupid. I feel like all of this should have been obvious to me, but it wasn't. It still isn't. I was blind-sided, mostly by you, because I thought I needed to protect you." I could feel my face swelling up in anticipation of tears. "My judgment was clouded because I love you and I didn't want to lose you. It's my fault James was even here in the first place."

"It's not your fault." Each word was punctuated. "James was already planning to track anyone he decided was worth it. It wasn't personal."

"Yes it was!" I exclaimed. "It turned personal when he used Mike against me because he knew I care about people. He _knew_ what I cared about." I'd never spoken to Edward so candidly before. Honestly, it felt good.

The pot hole we went over elongated the silence in an uncomfortable way. I looked up and saw Alice staring back from the front seat and Jasper in the driver's seat, tensed. Alice gave a quick smile before saying, "Sorry about that," and settling back into her seat.

"There's a lot we need to tell you," Edward allowed.

"Then why can't you tell me now?" My throat constricted, making it hard for me to talk without sobbing. I wish I could have been stronger so that I wouldn't have to cry whenever something was bad. I wanted to be able to put on a front so I could move on quickly and forget things.

"Each of us has something different to tell you, and we want to tell you ourselves."

"All together? In the same room?"

Edward nodded.

"Is a communal really necessary? Isn't someone going to talk about something in private?" Privacy wasn't really my concern. I didn't think I really wanted to talk to anyone at the moment.

"If it helps, I already know what they're going to say."

"Oh, right." Mind-reader. "I wish I could do that."

"What?"

"Read minds. It would be a lot more convenient, especially now." How Edward responded surprised me.

He laughed. "Bella, I think it's fair to say you don't know anything, or at least not enough, about what being a vampire is like." He sounded tired and amused, maybe a little delusional.

I thought about his statement. I knew a little bit about vampirism, from what he'd taught me and from what I'd observed, but there was so much about his world that I didn't know. I didn't know that James was a tracker, and I'm sure that would have helped me in the long run. So if I were to stay with the Cullen's for any amount of time, their nature would have to become second knowledge.

"Teach me."

"Teach you?" Edward replied, a smidge confused.

"Yes, tell me about what being a vampire is like. You said I don't know enough about it. And if I'm planning on being around you, I'm going to need to know more." I hoped he wouldn't think it was the most stupid idea he'd ever heard.

His face turned pensive. "Why do I feel like we've had this conversation before?"

Because we have. Back in the 'good' days, as I like to call them, we had both decided to cut out the physical aspect of our relationship until we had learned more about the other. I guessed now we were going to have to cut out our relationship (what was left of it) completely if we were going to get anything done.

Before I could say anything more, we had arrived at the Cullen's house. We filed into the large living room that I hadn't been inside of for what felt like a long time. The other family members arrived just after we did and each took a seat. Edward and I sat in the love seat, adjacent from the large white couch that Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett were seated on. Esme took the arm chair while Carlisle opted to stand. Wasn't someone missing? I couldn't quite remember. Had I blocked out part of the previous event?

"Where's Mike?" I asked when my mind had attained the missing person.

"He's outside," Carlisle answered. "He would rather not be around humans." He'd rather not be around _me_. I tried not to take it personally. He seemed controlled when he killed James, but now that it was over, he no longer had a purpose. He didn't want to hurt anyone now that he was volatile.

"So… How is Mike, for lack of a better word, alive?" I didn't know why I was so calm. Was James' venom placating me, or was it Jasper? I could still feel the venom in my body, moving slower and slower by the minute. I hoped it wouldn't change me permanently.

This must have been Carlisle's confession. "When the ambulance arrived at your school, I came with them. Mike was still alive, but barely. His heartbeat was too faint for human ears. I made sure he wasn't subjected to autopsy; a fake was put into the coffin. I turned him the day before the funeral."

"Why did you turn him?"

Alice's turn. "When you arrived into town, I had a vision that something very bad was going to happen. It was going to involve the Quileutes so we—"

"Wait." Alice stopped talking. "The Quileutes? What do they have to do with this?"

"You don't know?" She asked quietly.

"Know what?" I asked insistently.

"We assumed you would have known, considering the company you keep." Alice said 'company' almost scathingly. Who was she talking about?

I was flustered. "What 'company'?"

"That mutt, Jacob," Rosalie sneered. Why would she call him a mutt? She didn't even know him. None of them knew him. But, with the powers of visions and mind-reading, they could know him.

"What do you know about him? What do you know about the Quileutes?"

"They're akin to what you would call a werewolf," Jasper answered.

My breath hitched. It was all coming together. That giant wolf in the forest was a werewolf. Could it have been Jacob? Come to think of it, I had forgotten about him. The last time I saw him was at the truck, right before James took me.

"Is Jacob…?" I trailed off, not able to say it out loud.

"We believe so," Jasper replied.

"Anyways," Alice started again, "we had a treaty with them saying that we would not bite any human and that if we did, they would dispose of us. But when I saw you in my vision, I knew we were going to need to change the treaty. I don't exactly know why, but I had a feeling. And after I showed Edward, he did, too."

"When did you know about James?"

"We knew about him when he arrived into town," Edward answered. "I knew that he was a tracker by his thoughts, but we weren't going to make him leave unless he did something bad. We started forming a plan to stop him when he broke your hand."

I sighed. "Now I feel really stupid." They all looked at me. "It should have been obvious! I knew Edward could read minds and I knew Alice could see the future, but it never occurred to me that you guys knew about James. I'm incredibly useless." The last part was a little melodramatic, but hey, I was feeling emotional.

"We tried to work with you," Esme cut in. "That's why Carlisle was your doctor the day of your appointment. Alice saw you and Jacob talking and knew about your plan. Carlisle changed Mike in the hopes that he would want revenge. We know now that it was selfish, but we figured we would need a newborn to defeat James. We set up a hunting trip so that Carlisle could tell you about it, hoping that you would take the bait. But Mike had some issues and couldn't go on with the plan."

"What kind of issues?" I asked, without thinking.

"He went to his house a few days before. His mother saw him and the ordeal gave her quite a scare." So Mrs. Newton really had seen Mike. "After that, he wasn't up to what we had in mind."

"So he got over it in a week?"

"We made sure he would," Emmett said, winking. I lightly glared at him.

"And then we sent out Emmett," Esme continued. Now it was just plain obvious that all of this was a ploy. Emmett going to the grocery store to buy ingredients for cookies? I really was stupid; why did people keep telling me I wasn't?

I made another face at Emmett. "You're a horrible actor, by the way."

"Hey, I still served my purpose in the end."

I sighed. "Yeah, well I'm just glad it's over." They all nodded. "But if Alice knew where we were going to be today, why were you late? I mean, it could have spared me some injuries." A lot of injuries.

"For some reason," Alice said, "when werewolves are involved, I can't _see_ around them. They block my view, and not because of their sight."

"So you couldn't tell me where Jacob is right now?" I was worried about him now that the venom had stopped circulating my body.

"I'm sorry." Alice shrugged.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "What a day." The Cullen's murmured in assent and removed themselves from their seated and standing positions. Edward stayed next to me. "Wait." They all stopped at the same exact time, except for Rosalie, who Emmett had to pull back. "Thank you. All of you. I wouldn't live without you, literally."

"You're welcome, Bella," Esme replied for all of them. They all had smiles on their faces. Emmett and Alice each hugged me before they all disappeared into the house or outside, leaving Edward and I alone. I looked out the large window-wall and waved to an invisible Mike, hoping he would see.

Edward and I stood up from the loveseat. "Do you want to go home? I can't imagine how tired you must be."

"That depends; do I look like I just got ran over by a truck?"

"Just a little bit," Edward replied, smiling at my distressed expression. I walked over to the decorative mirror in the large front hall and examined myself. There were cuts and bruises all over my face and my nose looked as if it had been ripped off and haphazardly glued back on. I discovered many more cuts and holes all over my body. I was afraid to even look at my back, knowing that my spine had been broken.

Edward sensed something was wrong. "I don't want to look at my back."

"Do you want me to look instead?" He asked, unsure. I nodded and lifted up the back of my tattered shirt halfway up my back.

Edward sucked in a deep breath. "Bella, I'm so sorry."

"What? What is it?" It couldn't be _that_ bad, though. I didn't even feel it. That was probably because of the venom, but still.

I turned around and looked at my lower back in the mirror. I gasped also. It looked like someone had painted on my back like it was a sturdy canvas. They used the harshest shades of red and purple with a strike of black here and there. It was the most beautiful pain I'd ever seen.

"Carlisle," Edward whispered. In half a second, Carlisle appeared behind me, examining my back.

"Bella, I'm going to take you to the hospital. How do you feel?" Carlisle asked.

"I feel fine. Completely fine." Carlisle looked at Edward harshly. Edward said 'yes' and 'I don't know' but to me it was a one-sided conversation. Carlisle was thought-talking.

He spoke aloud. "You ingested James' venom?"

"Yes. He made me," I said, letting my shirt down and turning to the men. "Do you know why?"

Carlisle seemed frustrated. "No, I don't. Let's go to the hospital so I can get a better look."

The three of us went to Forks Hospital and Carlisle put me through some x-rays. He said my spine had broken completely and now it was almost like it had never been touched, except for a few bumps in the vertebrae. He also took a sample of my blood, a surprisingly non-problematic situation. He gave me stitches on a head wound I didn't know I had and put a brace on my nose. Apparently I had been bleeding for quite a while. If I was in a room full of vampires, why hadn't any of them noticed?

I didn't get a chance to ask. I decided to go home and shower to get all the dirt and twigs out of my hair due to my recent trip through the trees. We came up with the story that I had been climbing trees and fell out of a particularly tall one. It wasn't too far from the truth, but I didn't think Charlie would believe that I had been thrown around by a vampire.

Edward took me home. Neither of us said anything. I was too tired.

I hoped we could salvage our relationship. I loved him very much, but was this life safe for me? I survived today by chance. Could a human really _live _around vampires?

Charlie was surprised to see me in the state I was in. He asked where my truck was and I told him I left it by the trees I had been climbing. I had honestly forgotten about it. An hour later, it showed up in the driveway. I took a shower and went to bed early without eating anything. I wasn't hungry. I was exhausted but I couldn't sleep. I stared at the ceiling for 4 hours before I got up and tried to eat something. My stomach immediately rejected the food. The second it hit my stomach, it traveled back through my esophagus and came out in the saliva-y mess I'm sure it had gone down as.

What was wrong with me?

**A/N: Whoa! What's this? A new chapter? Believe me, I'm as amazed as you are. I've decided to finish this story. There should be one more chapter, but I haven't written it yet so no promises on when it will be up.**

**If you have any questions or comments, please leave a review. I know this was all very confusing, so don't be shy.**

**~Kj**


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